28 Sep 11. IT security talent is in high demand across government agencies and private companies, with a shortage of resources among the federal agencies that is creating a challenge in managing successful cybersecurity operations. Last year, the U.S. Cyber Command, which was scheduled to be “fully operational” by October 1st, missed its deadline, primarily due to the challenge of finding qualified personnel. Over the past few years, several competitions and educational programs have put cybersecurity in the eyes of our nation’s youth, with the hopes of sparking interest, and nurturing young students into talented professionals charged with defending Government and Enterprise computer systems. Today the National Security Agency (NSA) said it would fund college scholarships for the high school and college student winners of the upcoming Maryland Cyber Challenge & Conference (MDC3). Being held for the first time, the Maryland Cyber Challenge & Conference will take place October 21-22 at the Baltimore Convention Center. It will give teams of high school students, college students, and professionals the opportunity to learn more about cybersecurity and develop practical skills for defending computers while competing for scholarships in a fun environment. The conference will feature keynote speakers, breakout sessions and cyber innovation exhibits for an audience of students, parents and professionals from academia, industry and government. (Source: Google)

29 Sep 11. L-3 TRL Technology’s new Enterprise-CATAPAN® high-speed IP network encryption device has been certified by the UK’s National Technical Authority, CESG. As the latest innovation from L-3 TRL’s CATAPAN® family of high assurance cryptos, which protect the classified networks of government and security agencies across the UK, Enterprise-CATAPAN is a strategic 1 and 10 Gbps solution designed specifically for high bandwidth deployments to provide optimum security and functionality at the fastest speed available.
“We have high expectations for Enterprise-CATAPAN”, said Vice President Adrian Cunningham, Head of L-3 TRL’s National Security Division. “The device utilises the same re-programmable architecture as our other CATAPAN solutions, enabling our customers to benefit from multiple deployment options, but with a much faster encryption capability that supports the growing bandwidth requirements within the high assurance marketplace.”
The newly certified Enterprise-CATAPAN can be deployed as a strategic partner to the industry-leading Mini-CATAPAN®, which is already in service with a number of government, security and law enforcement agencies in the UK to offer an interoperable, agile gateway solution that can be used in conjunction with tactical systems. The device is especially ideal for secure data centre connectivity or similar applications that call for a re-programmable, high-performance solution.