LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Kalamazoo’s state senator is looking to provide increased cybersecurity for colleges and universities in the state.
Senator Sean McCann has introduced Senate Bill 737, which establishes a 24/7 security operation center for Michigan’s higher education institutions. McCann says the center will provide cybersecurity threat detection, prevention and response capabilities for organizations.
He says the implementation for the Michigan cybersecurity defense organization and security operations center aims to help public universities address the rapidly evolving threats that can damage and interrupt critical operations in Michigan. Following initial implementation costs, the SOC operational costs are expected to be funded with dues from participating members.
“I am grateful to have worked closely with the Michigan Association for State Universities (MASU) on the development of this critical bill,” Sen. McCann said. “More and more, we are seeing institutions deal with escalating cyber-threats that could cause costly, dangerous and exploitative damage to the critical operations of our higher education institutions and the sensitive information they maintain. This bill will create a constant hub to prevent, defend and respond to cyber attacks on our public universities.”
If established, the Michigan Security Operations Center would work with Merit Network, which is primarily governed by Michigan’s public universities, as the established network operator for higher education in the state of Michigan, to monitor and respond to network intrusions.
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