Louisiana Establishes Cybersecurity Commission

Herbstlaub-virus-screenshot

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has issued an executive order establishing a Louisiana Cybersecurity Commission. In a statement, the Governor said that he wanted to create a cybersecurity ecosystem in Louisana and make the state a location of choice for cybersecurity companies.

The governor will appoint up to 15 commissioners who are tasked with developing various reports to the Governor’s Office and the Louisiana Legislature, including the mechanisms necessary for producing a cyber incident recap report. Cyber-attacks aimed at breaching and damaging computers, networks, and infrastructure in Louisiana represent a major security risk and increase the state’s vulnerability to economic disruption, critical infrastructure damage, privacy violations and identify theft.

“We applaud and support the Governor’s Office for forming a Commission that will help facilitate economic development, not only along the I-20 Innovation Corridor where we are most heavily invested, but also throughout the region,” said Louisiana Tech president Les Guice, one of the entities represented on the new commission.

The new commission will be tasked with understanding what cyber risks face the state of Louisiana and making recommendations on how to address them. In addition, commissioners will be working with cybersecurity companies and stakeholder groups to support the cybersecurity industry in Louisana.

Several states have launched similar groups in recent years in an effort to bring technology companies into the local economy. Colorado, Maryland, and Virginia have become high profile examples of cybersecurity hubs that have partnered with local universities and the military to create research corridors. Lousiana is a state with similar resources at its disposal.

The National Governor’s Association has also made cybersecurity a key focus area for state government. The NGA is pushing for states to create a cybersecurity plan and work with local companies to create local security ecosystems.

The full text of the order is available here.