Release: Jackley Announces Cybersecurity Initiative

Jackley Announces Cybersecurity Initiative

MADISON, SD: Today, Attorney General Marty Jackley announced his plan to prioritize the development of South Dakota’s cybersecurity and computer science capabilities.

“The investment decisions we make today will form the economy of tomorrow,” said Jackley, who received his engineering degree from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. “South Dakota needs a governor with the vision to seize the next great idea on the horizon, which is why our team is proud to announce the Marty Jackley Cybersecurity Initiative—a plan that looks not just four or eight years down the road, but generations ahead.”

Jackley’s Cybersecurity Initiative, announced ahead of Thursday’s Cybersecurity Forum at Dakota State University, calls for the following:

• Launch the South Dakota Cybersecurity Consortium by forming a financial and strategic partnership with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), DSU, and our federal partners.
• Expand Dakota State University infrastructure to properly scale our computer science and cybersecurity programs.
• Ensure competitive employment packages for top talent, including 100 DSU Cyclops Lab researchers who bring resources from both private and public partners into our economy.
• Integrate computer science into K-12 systems to better educate future generations of cybersecurity talent.
• Promote summer camps and other recruitment opportunities to expand the pipeline.

“In addition to providing high-paying jobs to our graduates, keeping them in South Dakota, and bringing new workforce into the state, this initiative is about protecting the homeland we love,” Jackley said. “Guided by this plan that calls for new ways of thinking, innovating, and investing, South Dakota can lead the way in cybersecurity development and make our state and nation a safer and more prosperous place for us all.”

Read the full Marty Jackley Cybersecurity Initiative here.