EWI and ICS-ISAC Launch New Platform for Safer Cyber Communities
News | March 29, 2016

The EastWest Institute's Global Cooperation in Cyberspace Initiative and the Industrial Control Systems Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ICS-ISAC) at Webster University have launched an action-oriented, interactive and international community-based platform to help critical infrastructure owners and operators share cybersecurity best practices and lessons learned worldwide.

This portal, the EWI Information Sharing Community, will enable public and private sector individuals and organizations to share information in the form of articles, documents, conversations, and technical information. It will provide open collaborative areas where EastWest Institute's network, the ICS-ISAC members and other security and infrastructure industry professionals can create and post information and comments, as well as private spaces where communities can share knowledge within appropriately limited populations.

Dr. Katherine Getao, ICT Secretary, Ministry of Information Communication and Technology of Kenya, said of the initiative, Kenya is taking an active role in addressing cybersecurity risks. We welcome this opportunity to share lessons learned with others in the global critical infrastructure community.

Michael Chertoff, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder, The Chertoff Group and Former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security stated, Nations must work together to secure critical infrastructure resources essential to global society. EWI and ICS-ISAC provide a forum to do that.

The platform is a project of EWI's Breakthrough Group on Strengthening Critical Infrastructure Resilience, which is working to expand global awareness about the importance of cybersecurity to a broad international network of connected critical infrastructure professionals.

Breakthrough Group Chair Tom Patterson, Vice President and Global Security Leader for Unisys, commented, All parts of the civilized world have infrastructure that is critical to their very way of life. This platform, created by EWI and the ICS-ISAC, is an important step toward connecting the world's greatest minds in this space to the mission of protecting global critical infrastructure.

EastWest Institute's Global Vice President, Bruce McConnell, added, Risks associated with cyberspace increasingly demand greater collaboration. This platform will give secure access and voice to qualified individuals within critical infrastructure who want to learn more, contribute to the dialogue and improve their country's systems.

For more information, contact: Ashley Dennee, adennee@eastwest.ngo, EWI, and Debra Windle, dwindle@ics-isac.org, ICS-ISAC.

Media Contact
Conrad Jarzebowski
Press Officer, EastWest Institute
Phone: +1 212 824 4131
Email address: cjarzebowski@eastwest.ngo

About the EastWest Institute:

The EastWest Institute works to reduce international conflict, addressing seemingly intractable problems that threaten world security and stability. We forge new connections and build trust among global leaders and influencers, help create practical new ideas and take action through our network of global decision-makers. Independent and nonprofit since our founding in 1980, we have offices in New York, Brussels, Moscow, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Learn more at www.eastwest.ngo.

About the ICS-ISAC:

The ICS-ISAC is a non-profit Knowledge Sharing Center established to help facilities develop situational awareness in support of local, national and international security. At the ICS-ISAC facility operators, integrators, vendors, researchers and the communities they support work together to share the means and methods necessary to maintain safe and stable societies. The ICS-ISAC is part of Webster University's Cyberspace Research Institute. Learn more at www.ics-isac.org.

About the Webster University CRI:

The Webster University Cyberspace Research Institute (CRI) offers digital laboratories for institute partners, members, students and academic faculty to explore the most current cyberspace and security issues and threats. The Webster University CRI combats disruptive technologies and creates opportunities for collaborative research.

With its home campus in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, Webster University (www.webster.edu) comprises an action-oriented global network of faculty, staff, students and alumni who forge powerful bonds with each other and with their communities around the globe. Founded in 1915, Webster is a private non-profit university with more than 17,000 students studying at campus locations in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa and in a robust learning environment online.