Phase II of construction of the Hull McKnight Georgia Cyber Center for Innovation and Training in Augusta begins officially on Wednesday. The second building at the center, funded by an additional $35 million from the state, will serve as an incubator hub for technology startups and include leasable space for private businesses in the cybersecurity industry.
Expected to be completed by the end of the year, the building will have some 165,000 square feet of space – bringing the whole campus up to more than 330,000 square feet. Governor Deal emphasized the future when he announced the additional funding back in November. “Cybersecurity technology is changing at a disruptive speed and today, that rate of change is likely the slowest it will be in our lifetime. This visionary approach to cybersecurity underscores our commitment to encouraging innovation and developing a deep talent pool ready to establish Georgia as the safest state in the nation for today’s leaders in technology.”
The facility will also serve as a training facility for information security professionals employed by state and local governments. The Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) is overseeing construction and operation of the facilities. The list of partners with GTA on the project is a who’s who of cybersecurity specialists – U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Gordon, the Georgia National Guard, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the City of Augusta, the University System of Georgia, the Technical College System of Georgia and local school systems.
Augusta is pitching in an extra $12 million and the facility is expected to have a big economic impact on the region. Augusta Technical College has nearly 1,000 students that are pursuing cyber and related IT programs and the center will serve as an important opportunity for internships or other hands on experience. “With hands-on research and internship opportunities not found anywhere else, this world-class facility will help revolutionize cybersecurity education and bolster Georgia and Augusta’s status as a leading hub for cybersecurity innovation,” said Augusta University President Brooks A. Keel, PhD. “Students and faculty in both our Cyber Institute and School of Computer and Cyber Sciences will now have the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with the departments of industry and defense, state cybersecurity professionals and tech startups, as we work to educate and train the next generation of cyber professionals.”
The center will include dedicated classroom space and a 320-seat auditorium. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s cybercrime unit will be housed at the facility and it will work closely with the new cyber center at Fort Gordon. The Cyber Command was established in 2010, headquartered at Fort Gordon. Their mission is to “direct and conduct integrated electronic warfare, information and cyberspace operations as authorized, or directed, to ensure freedom of action in and through cyberspace and the information environment, and to deny the same to our adversaries.” The Cyber Mission Force teams announced in November that they had achieved full operational capability, more than a year ahead of schedule. They perform both defensive cyberspace and combat support missions.
As Governor Deal noted, the pace of change in cyber will only increase in the coming years and Augusta will play a central role for the Army and for Georgia.
