Unleashing Cyber Insights: Trailblazing Keynotes by Dr. Dane Egli, Tere Brun, & Scott Shyne Await at the Forge Cyber Summit!
The annual Arkansas Cyber Summit is set to take place on October 4th-5th, showcasing the intersection of cybersecurity and the natural beauty of the region. Hosted less than 30 minutes from downtown Little Rock, this two-day event will feature insights, best practices and first-hand cyber defensive & AI experiences from national industry professionals, government leaders, and cybersecurity enthusiasts.
Acxiom and Forge Institute Partner to Pave Tech Career Pathways for Veterans
Acxiom sponsors the Forge Fellowship program, offering internship and professional coaching opportunities to help military service members break into the booming cybersecurity and digital industries.
Forge Institute Announces Strategic Collaboration with the Arkansas Municipal League
The Forge Institute announced a pivotal collaboration with the Arkansas Municipal League (AML) and the Arkansas Cyber Defense Center (ACDC). This partnership aims to provide crucial cybersecurity services and expertise to the municipalities of Arkansas, thereby fortifying the state's cyber defenses.
Consortium for Cyber Innovation members announce strategic collaboration with the Department of Energy & Idaho National Laboratory
Forge Institute (Forge), a subrecipient of UA Little Rock’s $1 million grant, announced a collaboration to establish a new research project to enhance protections for Arkansas’s energy utilities against energy-focused cyberattacks within the existing Forge Institute Emerging Threat Center. This project is part of the Consortium for Cyber Innovation (CCI), which is led by Forge and includes UA Little Rock and the University of Arkansas.
Renowned Author and Cyber Expert Perry Carpenter Joins Forge Institute Board of Advisors
Perry Carpenter is an internationally recognized thought leader in the area of security awareness, security behavior management practices, and social engineering. He is author of the recently published, “The Security Culture Playbook: An Executive Guide To Reducing Risk and Developing Your Human Defense Layer.” He also serves as Chief Evangelist & Strategy Officer for KnowBe4, the world's largest integrated platform for security awareness training combined with simulated phishing attacks.
Arkansas Cyber Defense Center receives major boost from statewide partnerships
“It’s been a great privilege to work with this team,” said Mark Hayes before officially signing the MOU. “I think we have a great opportunity for our state, and to be only one of three states in the country doing this kind of work is amazing.”
Why Cyber Has Become the Next Big Career Boom for Women
“The cyber field is in tremendous need of diverse talent,” says Hartman. “As a woman in cyber security, you would also have the opportunity to help break down barriers and challenge the status quo.”
Statement Regarding Current Arkansas Legislation that impacts Computer Science
Computer science is not just a career pathway, it's part of every single aspect of our world. How could we let a student graduate high school without access to this basic education? If we do, we're not preparing them for the world which they are entering. (read more)
Forge Institute Scales Collaboration to Help Improve Cyber Resiliency for Small Businesses
Forge Institute announced today that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between Forge Institute and the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center (ASBTDC), based at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. The expanded collaboration endeavors to support Arkansas’ small businesses by helping to improve cyber resilience. The MOU also serves as an addendum to the Collaboration Agreement established between Forge Institute and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock signed in January of last year.
Forge Institute launches free Cyber Risk Assessments for Arkansas Small Businesses
In an effort to harden the state’s defenses against cyberattacks, the Forge Institute Arkansas Cyber Defense Center (ACDC) is offering Cyber Risk Assessments for Arkansas small businesses. The Cyber Risk Assessment is offered at no cost to small businesses, and is part of the U.S. Small Business Administration (US SBA) “Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program, which provided funding for the Arkansas Cyber Defense Center (ACDC). The Program was launched to further build capacity and expand critical cybersecurity services to address the escalating cyber attacks targeting small businesses.
Cyber Advisory on TikTok
Cybersecurity Advisory | December 12, 2022
Due to significant concerns from Government and industry, Forge Institute is recommending that individuals remove TikTok from their devices and that organizations ban the application on work devices.
2022 NWA Tech Summit names Lee Watson of Forge Institute the “Emerging Innovator of the Year”
“The Emerging Innovator of the Year is presented to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding technical or entrepreneurial talent, contributed positively to Northwest Arkansas, and helped advance the region’s economic ecosystem. We were excited to name Lee Watson of the Forge Institute as this year’s honoree.” –Kristopher Adams, Director of the NWA Technology Summit at the Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce.
Forge Institute’s Annual Cybersecurity Summit Sparks Essential Collaborations
The Arkansas Cybersecurity Summit, which was held in Central Arkansas, brings industry, critical infrastructure organizations, academia (researchers and students), state and local government, federal agencies and military together to discuss global cyber threat activity, workforce programs/needs, and to raise awareness of opportunities/programs that help Arkansas robust its cyber defenses and increase economic prosperity for our state. This year’s focus was “Developing Arkansas as the Cyber Defense State.”
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE PARTNERS WITH FORGE INSTITUTE TO IMPLEMENT STARBASE ARKANSAS
Forge Institute and the 19th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base are partnering to provide Arkansas’ STARBASE program, whose focus is to motivate fifth graders to explore STEM opportunities. The program offers 25 hours of stimulating class experiences on military installations.
Forge Institute names Matt Bunch to Board of Advisors
Forge Institute, a leader in cyber workforce development and other cyberdefense related services, today named Matt Bunch to its Advisory Board, strengthening a board that has become one of the most cyber-knowledgeable in the Nation.
Forge Institute Awarded Grant to Help Arkansas Small Businesses Combat Emerging Cyber Threats
Forge Institute announced today that it has been selected by the U.S. Small Business Administration as one of three (3) awardees of the Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program. The funding allows the Arkansas Cyber Defense Center (ACDC) – which launched last spring – to further build capacity and expand critical cybersecurity services to address the escalating cyber attacks targeting small businesses.
Forge announces world-renowned speakers for annual Cybersecurity Summit
Each year, Forge hosts the Arkansas Cyber Summit as a way to bring industry, critical infrastructure organizations, academia (researchers and students), state and local government, federal agencies and military together to discuss global cyber threat activity, workforce programs/needs, and to raise awareness of opportunities/programs that help Arkansas robust its cyber defenses and increase economic prosperity for our state. This year’s focus is on developing Arkansas as the Cyber Defense State. Topics include Securing the Defense Industrial Base to Grow Arkansas Jobs; Engaging State & Local Government in Cyber Defense; Trust Officer vs. CISO - What Do We Need Now; National Security Risks & Opportunities from Emerging Technologies; and so much more.
Forge Institute names Air Force Veteran Wes Nickels Chief of Staff
Forge Institute expanded its ranks today when they named U.S. Air Force veteran Wes Nickels as Chief of Staff. Nickels joined the team after completing the DoD SkillBridge through the Forge Fellowship program.
University of Arkansas System CISO Joins Forge Institute Board of Advisors
“I believe that Forge Institute's work is helping to make Arkansas a rally point for all things cyber,” said Wall.
Forge Institute Forms Strategic Partnership with Cybersecurity Leader Fortinet
Forge Institute, a leader in cyber workforce development and other cyber defense related services, today announced a strategic collaboration with Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT), a global provider of broad, integrated and automated cybersecurity solutions. The partnership is one of mutual benefit to both cyber-driven organizations.