New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) today launched its effort to position New York City as a global leader in cybersecurity jobs and innovation.The effort is part of Mayor de Blasio’s Cyber NYC initiative, which will catalyze the growth of New York City’s cybersecurity industry, and is a key component of Mayor de Blasio’s New York Works plan to create 100,000 good jobs over the next ten years.
NYCEDC today released a Cyber NYC RFP, which seeks proposals from across academia and industry to partner with the City on a range of connected initiatives, including: establishing a Cyber Center for the industry that will include the city’s first cybersecurity accelerator, strengthening New York City’s cybersecurity talent pipeline through an Applied Learning Initiative, and developing connections between academia and entrepreneurship to support commercialization of new products. The City’s effort will help grow New York City’s cybersecurity industry, and ultimately fuel the creation of 10,000 high-quality, accessible jobs for New Yorkers.
“Cybersecurity presents both a threat and opportunity to New York City,” said NYCEDC President and CEO James Patchett. “The de Blasio Administration is investing in cybersecurity to both fuel innovation, and to create new, accessible pathways to jobs in the industry. We’re looking for big-thinking proposals to help us become the global capital of cybersecurity and to create thousands of good jobs for New Yorkers.”
The Cyber NYC RFP will focus on three priorities:
- Establishing a Cyber Center to serve as the primary hub of New York City’s cyber community. Specifically, the center will house New York City’s first cybersecurity accelerator to connect startups with space, training, potential customers, investors, industry mentors, and other resources. The center will also house community space and programming for the industry.
- Strengthening Talent Partnerships by developing a diverse, well-trained cybersecurity workforce, and connecting New Yorkers with Jobs. The key component of these partnerships will be an Applied Learning Initiative, which will operate across the city’s universities and educational service providers to create learning opportunities in cybersecurity. The City will also establish a Cyber Boot Camp to train and connect a diverse group of New Yorkers with jobs in cybersecurity.
- Creating Academic Innovation Exchanges to support the launch, growth, and commercialization of new cybersecurity research and development based in academia. The exchanges will include two programs: Cyber IP to pair creators of commercialization-ready IP with entrepreneurs and Cyber Innovation Bridge to connect academia-led startups with funding and entrepreneurship training.
Download the RFP here.
New York City is well-positioned to become a global hub for commercial cybersecurity. Currently, New York City already home to more than 6,000 cybersecurity jobs, diverse talent, and key anchor industries that are the largest buyers of cybersecurity – financial services, healthcare, retail, media, and others.
Cybersecurity is of increasing strategic importance to companies, institutions, and consumers. Recent cyberattacks on financial institutions, retail businesses, media companies, and healthcare institutions underscore the increased importance for businesses and institutions to invest in protecting against cyberattacks. Consequently, cybersecurity is a major area of economic growth and is projected to reach $170 billion in global spending by 2020.
“Cybersecurity has never been more important to the pillars of New York’s economy – finance, healthcare, media, and commerce – and it will only grow more crucial,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “Investing in this industry is timely, it plays to our strengths, and it will deliver a real return.”
“I applaud Mayor de Blasio for focusing the City’s job-creating resources on the vital and growing cybersecurity sector,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams. “Cyber NYC comes at the right time, a time when we are keenly aware of the critical threats facing consumers, companies, and civic institutions alike. This initiative also comes to the right city, a city that is home to world-class academics and entrepreneurs as well as a new generation of young tech talent. Brooklyn is ready to house these good-paying jobs that will add to the security of our borough and beyond.”
“As digital technologies continue to proliferate throughout all areas of society, maintaining cybersecurity is more important than ever,” said Council Member James Vacca, Chair of the New York City Council Committee on Technology. “While maintaining robust cybersecurity represents a significant challenge, it also offers significant opportunities for innovation and business growth. This RFP and initial investment will ensure New York City is both well-positioned to further the field of cybersecurity and take advantage of the economic benefits.”
“The risk of a serious cyberattack befalling NYC is great—which is why we need Cyber NYC,” said NYC Council Member Daniel Dromm, Chair of the New York City Council Committee on Education. “The City is obliged to safeguard the sensitive information it collects each day. This investment will ensure that NYC has access to the top talent necessary to do just that. I am pleased to support Cyber NYC which will grow the cybersecurity sector in NYC. Thanks to this initiative, NYC will be well-equipped to combat cyberattacks for years to come.”
“In 2017 cyber security is everything. We rely on it when we do our personal banking, apply for a job, or buy socks online,” said Council Member Ben Kallos, a web developer. “It is exciting to see New York City positioning itself to be one of the cyber cities of the future by investing in cyber security jobs now. Thank you to the Economic Development Corporation for the vital role it is playing in bringing good paying jobs to our City.”
“New York City and the NYPD have been national and international leaders and innovators in counterterrorism efforts since September 11, 2001. In making this evolutionary leap and investment into the training and development of cybersecurity professionals, New York will once again be at the vanguard of protecting our city and state from the potential castrophic consequences of cyberattack and databreachs”, said State Senate Chair of the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security, and Military Affairs, Tom Croci (R, C, I – Sayville).
“As we’ve seen with the massive Equifax breach and Russian tampering in the economic and political affairs of our nation, cybersecurity has become a central issue of our lives. Mayor de Blasio’s Cyber NYC initiative will leverage New York’s resources to expand our knowledge economy, create new jobs, and shape a digital future that is safer and more secure,” said State Senator Brad Hoylman.
“Our nation faces new serious threats as cyber attacks increase and become more sophisticated. Consequently, cyber security has become an important discipline in the computer and technology industry,” said State Senator Marty Golden. “It is vitally important that New York City becomes a major player in the development of cyber security pipelines, strategies, business partnerships and providing well-trained cyber professionals. I want to commend the Mayor for investing $30 million to ensure that our City becomes the epicenter of innovation in cyber security and instrumental in protecting our nation from future cyber attacks.”
‘It’s exciting to be a part of the City’s commitment to creating good jobs and investing in a talent pipeline to meet the needs of cyber employers. We recognize that there is a rich and deep talent pool right in our backyards and that companies looking to do business with the City will be attracted by the wealth of highly qualified academic and training partners seeking to work with employers to meet their skilled workforce needs,” said Barbara Chang, Executive Director, Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development.
“There is no better moment to launch Cyber NYC, bringing the City together with academia and industry to stay on the cutting edge of the discipline while broadening opportunities for New Yorkers to enter our critically important field,” said Geoff Brown, New York City Chief Information Security Officer and Head of NYC Cyber Command. “New York City Cyber Command is dedicated to expanding partnerships and strengthening the talent pipeline in the interest of making the City’s cyber defenses as strong as they can be-which is precisely what this effort will do.”
“Through key investments like the Tech Talent Pipeline initiative, Mayor de Blasio is positioning New York City as the best city for tech,” said Gregg Bishop, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. “Cyber NYC is another example of how we are working with industry leaders to develop the best-equipped tech workforce, supporting new research and development, and helping local tech start-ups flourish.”
“There is no better place to start a cybersecurity company than NYC. Through our investments in Security Scorecard, Hypr, and BigID, we’ve experienced the amazing resources NYC has to offer; top entrepreneurs, academic institutions and innovative corporations. We are thrilled that Mayor de Blasio is uniting all of these forces to establish NYC as a global hub for cybersecurity,” says Ed Sim, founder of boldstart ventures, said Ed Sim, Founder, Boldstart Ventures.
“We are thrilled to be playing a role in building New York City’s resilience and look forward to collaborating on tackling the most significant challenges in cybersecurity,” says Nadav Zafrir, Co-founder and CEO of Team8 and former Commander of Israel Intelligence Unit 8200. “New York City is the epicenter of global business and its commitment to building a strong cybersecurity hub will act as a model for the rest of the world. This is what fueled Team8’s decision to base our US operations there. We believe the NYCEDC initiative is a critical step in securing the city and its tens of millions of residents and visitors and we look forward to being a part of it.”
“In the next few years, there will be millions of unfilled cyber-security jobs. The most important thing we can do to combat the cyber-crime epidemic is to educate the public, and to build an amazing workforce of cyber-security professionals. This initiative by Mayor de Blasio will go a long way to fuel New York City cybersecurity industry and promote innovative new security startups to emerge”, said Dr. Aleksandr Yampolskiy, founder and CEO of SecurityScorecard, the leader in security ratings.
New York City’s investment in the cybersecurity industry is a key component of Mayor de Blasio’s New York Works plan to create 100,000 good jobs over the next ten years. The plan will pull more New Yorkers into the middle class through City investments in industries with high wages and growth potential, including cyber security, advanced manufacturing, freight, life sciences, and virtual and augmented reality, among others. Read the full plan here.
New York City Economic Development Corporation is the City’s primary vehicle for promoting economic growth in each of the five boroughs.
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