Cybersecurity

Virginia has been at the forefront of growth as the cybersecurity industry has scaled up. Given its dominant position in federal contracting, Northern Virginia is a breeding ground for the cybersecurity industry, and Virginia is seeing growth throughout the state with the establishment of company security operations centers.

Thirty-five of the Washington Technology Top 100 federal contracting companies are headquartered in Virginia, including 7 of the top 10. Virginia is home to 32 companies ranked in the Cyber 500, the second-largest number of any state in the U.S.

Source: BLS

Close proximity to the nation’s capital provides access to the Pentagon, the CIA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Navy Cyber Defense Operations Command, and many additional federal assets, making Virginia an advantageous location for cyber-companies.

Virginia is home to a robust technology infrastructure, with the largest data center market in the U.S. concentrated in Northern Virginia. As a result, the region boasts the highest density of dark fiber in the world. In addition to Northern Virginia, advanced levels of connectivity are seen throughout Virginia. Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corporation owns and operates 1,800 miles of open-access fiber optic network in 31 counties in Southern Virginia and operates long-haul fiber network for optical transport to key peering hubs on the East Coast. Virginia Beach now is the landing point for three new transoceanic fiber cable connection points – the first in the Mid-Atlantic. 

Virginia’s political leadership has taken steps to advance the Commonwealth’s position by establishing state policy related to cybersecurity, and has worked hard to build an ecosystem that allows the industry to thrive. Virginia was the first state in the nation to adopt National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cyber Framework and the first state to declare itself an Information Sharing and Assessment Organization (ISAO).

Virginia is also playing a role in fostering entrepreneurship through the MACH37™ Accelerator - an intensive, 90-day program created to launch cyber start-ups - headquartered at Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) in Herndon, Virginia. MACH37 was initially launched and funded by the Commonwealth but is now funded by the private sector.

Existing Workforce

Virginia has the 2nd-highest concentration of workers employed in the tech industry in the country.

In addition to having the most information security analysts in the nation, Virginia is also home to the 2nd-largest cybersecurity workforce in the country. According to CyberSeek.org, Virginia’s cyber talent pool of 65,000 is the highest on the East Coast.

Source: Cyberseek.org

Higher Education & Training

To meet the rising demand for a cybersecurity workforce, more than 20 of Virginia’s colleges and universities have established degree and certification programs in cybersecurity. Virginia Tech and Old Dominion University represent Virginia in a group of only 21 colleges and universities across the nation that are designated as Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Cyber Defense or Information Assurance by the National Security Agency. 

Institutions in bold have been designated as Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense or Information Assurance by the NSA/DHS.

The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CyberX), included in the Commonwealth’s FY19-20 budget, is an ambitious initiative led by Virginia Tech to push higher education research and master’s degree programs for cybersecurity, data analysis and computer science, and unmanned vehicle systems in partnership with those growing high-tech industries.

CCI is a highly-connected Network that engages of institutions of higher education, industry, and government, along with non-governmental and economic development organizations. It connects Regional Nodes across the Commonwealth, each led by an institution of higher education. The four CCI Regional Nodes, encompassing Central Virginia, Coastal Virginia, Northern Virginia, and Southwest Virginia, were certified by the Virginia Research Investment Committee on June 11, 2019. The CCI Hub is located in the Virginia Tech Research Center in Arlington, Virginia.

The Hume Center at Virginia Tech focuses on the challenges of cybersecurity, autonomy, and resilience in the context of national and homeland security. Current research initiatives include cyber-physical system security, orchestrated missions, and the convergence of cyber warfare and electronic warfare.

The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, home to the only undergraduate software engineering program in Virginia, has plans to expand its computer science and software engineering programs to include more faculty with cybersecurity expertise, and expand coursework in information security.

Piedmont Community College’s Analyst Boot Camp (ABC) is a rigorous 10-week program designed to provide students with the necessary tools to be successful analysts in the Intelligence Community (IC). During the ABC program, the process will be initiated for students to receive TOP SECRET security clearance.

The International Critical Infrastructure Security Institute (ICISI) in Bedford provides hands-on training and cybersecurity solutions performance testing in an operational power plant setting.

Virginia's first registered cybersecurity apprenticeship was established by building a partnership between Tidewater Community College and Yorktown-based Peregrine Technical Solutions, LLC.

Virginia's Veterans

Virginia’s large military presence provides an ongoing source of talent from exiting members entering the civilian workforce.

The Cyber Vets Virginia initiative is a unique cyber training collaboration between the Commonwealth and private-sector leaders, including CISCO, Amazon Web Services (AWS), ISC2, and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families’ Onward to Opportunity program (O2O). The initiative provides a free cyber-training pilot program for veterans living in Virginia and interested in working in the cyber industry.

The Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) launched the NVTC Veterans Employment Initiative (VEI) in August 2013 to accelerate veteran transitions to civilian life by providing better employment opportunities within Virginia’s technology community. VEI connects veterans with jobs, internships, mentorships, and education/certifications while also providing support to member companies in their efforts to recruit, hire, train, and retain qualified veteran employees.

In 2017, Northern Virginia Community College and Amazon Web Services announced a new, innovative apprenticeship program designed to train veterans in Northern Virginia. Throughout the course of their program, the all-veteran cohort of apprentices will earn a series of highly technical industry certifications that are in demand by the technology sector, including CompTIA Network+, Linux+, and the AWS Solutions Architect.

K-12

Virginia also encourages STEM and computer programming skills development at the K-12 level. Examples include:

• The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) incorporating computer science education into the Standards of Learning framework.
• Norfolk State University leading a collaborative effort among 13 colleges and universities, one public school district, two national laboratories, and a DoD facility to develop a K-20 pipeline for the cybersecurity workforce.
• CodeVA, a nonprofit partnering with schools, parents, and communities to bring equitable computer science education to all of Virginia's students.
• CodeRVA Regional High School, an innovative public high school preparing students for college and careers in computer science.
• The Virginia Cyber Range, a Commonwealth of Virginia initiative with a mission to enhance cybersecurity education for students in Virginia’s public high schools, colleges, and universities
• Fairfax County Public Schools being designated a CyberPatriot Center of Excellence for their commitment to promoting cyber-awareness and facilitating cyber-education for K-12 students.

Virginia offers a welcoming business climate for companies and is recognized as a top-ranked state for business, coming in at No. 1 by CNBC and No. 4 by Forbes.com in their annual best states for business rankings.

• The average commercial electric rate is the lowest in the U.S. at 7.52 cents per kilowatt hour.
• Unemployment insurance taxes are the 7th-lowest in the nation and 53% lower than the national average.
• Average workers' compensation costs are among the nation’s lowest.
• Building costs range from 6% to 21% below the national average, depending on the region.
• Competitive incentives and targeted local incentive programs are offered for major new employment centers.