Virginia's proximity to the federal government and the wealth of private technology leaders headquartered in the Commonwealth have helped its workforce rise to the forefront of the cybersecurity industry. It boasts the second largest cybersecurity workforce in the country, with approximately 80,000 cybersecurity professionals operating within the Commonwealth. Yet Virginia is also home to a unique asset that provides its businesses with a secure operating environment and access to singular skill sets that they can’t develop in-house.

In an increasingly digital world where data breaches, ransomware attacks, and other cybercrimes are pervasive, a skilled cybersecurity workforce is more important than ever. Yet the industry grapples with a significant worker shortage. Globally, there are an estimated 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs, including nearly 500,000 vacancies in the United States, according to research firm Cybersecurity Ventures. At the same time, a large talent pool is being underutilized: female professionals. 

Virginia’s critical infrastructure is by and large a hardened fortress built on best practices and the talents of among the most forward-thinking workforces in the nation. But more than that, it’s gaining ground when it comes to hardening its critical infrastructure out of the gates — embracing a cyber-first development approach to systems and solutions.

Drake Goolsby is chief commercialization officer at Luna Labs, a Charlottesville-based company that helps develop advanced technologies in biotech, advanced materials, and engineered systems for government, military, and industrial clients. VEDP Vice President of Manufacturing Sneha Atwal spoke with Goolsby about Luna Labs’ research activities.

VEDP President and CEO Jason El Koubi spoke with Virginia Manufacturers Association President and CEO Brett Vassey about the group's work supporting manufacturing operations and the key skills and sites the industry needs for a successful future. 

New advanced manufacturing technology is delivering new levels of precision, production, safety and sustainability - thanks to investments and collaboration across Virginia. 

Fairfax-based ANRA Technologies works to create order from unmanned chaos, with an assist from VEDP’s VALET program.

Shannon Kellogg, vice president of public policy at Amazon, joined VEDP Interim VP of Knowledge Work Megan Welch to talk about Amazon's cloud investments, his public policy efforts supporting Amazon Web Services and other tech innovation the company is spearheading.

Prem Natarajan, Ph.D., is chief scientist and head of enterprise AI at Fairfax County-based Capital One Financial Corporation. He discussed his work managing technology strategy, architecture, and development for the company’s enterprise data, machine learning, and analytics initiatives.

Karen Dahut, CEO of Google Public Sector (GPS), talks with VEDP President and CEO Jason El Koubi spoke about GPS’ work with public and private sector partners to leverage Google technology to serve U.S. citizens.