An initiative to build up the nation’s cyber workforce and better protect its critical infrastructure from hackers has enlisted the help of the University of Tulsa.
TU officials announced recently that the school is part of a consortium of institutions tapped to develop a plan for creating a national network of technical bodies for training and educating cyber professionals.
“I’m really excited. I think this is going to be a transformative cyber initiative for our country,” said Sujeet Shenoi, TU computer science professor and Cyber Corps director.
The effort, under the oversight of the federal Department of Homeland Security’s Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute, is being funded with a $2 million grant from the DHS science and technology directorate, in partnership with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
With TU, other consortium members include Purdue University, Auburn University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
But many other universities, community colleges and technology centers are being called on to help, Shenoi said.
He added he’s currently meeting with higher education officials from the area and across Oklahoma to loop them in, and prepare their institutions to provide some of the training and education.
“The project also dovetails nicely with the (George Kaiser Family Foundation) initiative to make Tulsa a cyber city,” Shenoi said.
The project was initiated based on a report from the U.S. Department of Commerce and DHS that describes both cybersecurity workforce needs and projected shortages.
In 2017, there were almost 300,000 active openings for cybersecurity-related jobs in the U.S. Globally, projections suggest a cybersecurity workforce shortage of 1.8 million by 2022, officials said.
Moreover, the majority of U.S. critical infrastructure is owned and operated by private companies, making its cybersecurity workforce vital.
The federal government also depends heavily on its cybersecurity workforce, supplemented by contractors.
Shenoi said the goal is to build up the nation’s cyber workforce in two areas, incident response and industrial control systems.
“Everything is automated now. And as you can imagine, really bad things can happen,” he said. “You can hack a plane while it’s flying. Or you can affect a nuclear reactor or a gas pipeline or an automobile.”
We’ve become a world of “small intelligent devices,” Shenoi said.
“They are all over the place, communicate with each other and make our lives better — but we’ve got to secure them.”
Oklahoma is poised to become a cyber leader, Shenoi said, adding that the potential benefits to the state of this new national project excite him.
The jobs “are fantastic,” he said. “We’re talking about higher level jobs, $100,000-plus range.”
“The oil and gas industry will continue,” Shenoi added. “But we need to have something that is always growing. Cyber is always growing.”
Tulsa mayor says State of the City is strong
Gallery: Tulsa companies in Oklahoma Inc. top 20 rankings for 2020
No. 2: AAON
When the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the nation and the world in this past spring, it revealed an important element to stopping the spread of the highly contagious virus. Air filtration in buildings where large numbers of people gather turned out to be a critical link in the collective effort to end the pandemic.
It’s important that heating, cooling and ventilation (HVAC) equipment in hospitals, schools, nursing facilities and large office buildings efficiently filter air to prevent virus particles from recirculating indoors.
HVAC equipment designed and manufactured by Tulsa-based AAON (NASDAQ: AAON) is built to ensure high indoor air quality in venues where it is critical to maintaining a safe environment, said Gary Fields, AAON’s CEO.
No. 3: Educational Development Corporation
Tulsa-based Educational Development Corporation saw a meteoric rise in this year’s Oklahoma Inc. ranking over last year, climbing from the 26th spot to No. 3. The significant rise in ranking is due in part to the need for alternative education methods spurred by the COVID-19 Pandemic during the first half of the year.
No. 4: BOK Financial
Ranked fourth on the 2020 Oklahoma Inc., BOK Financial reported a -20.3% change in earnings share at a time when banks scrambled to distribute federal loans to businesses hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
With a market capitalization of $3.9 billion, BOK Financial reported total revenues of $1.5 billion and a net income of $379.5 million.
Cody McAlester, vice president, public and investor relations, said BOK Financial has a diversified revenue model in which 45% of earnings come from fee businesses and not lending.
No. 5: ONE Gas Inc.
Top among energy companies featured in this year’s Oklahoma Inc. rankings, ONE Gas credits their 5th place ranking — a jump from 19th last year — to resiliency, adaptability and their commitment to safety.
“Our performance this year demonstrates the resiliency of our business model and the continued value of natural gas as a preferred energy source for homes and businesses,” said Pierce Norton, ONE Gas President and CEO.
No. 7: Williams Cos.
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit many businesses hard, especially in the energy industry, but The Williams Companies Inc., have still managed to climb their way into Oklahoma Inc.’s Top 10 businesses.
Williams is a natural gas processing and transportation company based in Tulsa. The company operates over 30,000 miles of pipelines and handles about 30% of the natural gas used for clean energy, heating and industrial use in the United States, according to its website.
This year, the company ranked No. 7 in Oklahoma Inc., up from No. 22 in 2019. It is the second-best performing energy company this year.
No. 8: Blueknight Energy Partners
In a challenging year for energy companies, Blueknight Energy Partners ended the 2020 ranking second on one year return at a rate of 37%. It also recorded an 80.4% change in earnings per share in 2020 over 2019.
Blueknight, based in Tulsa, owns and operates a diversified portfolio of complementary midstream energy assets that include 8.8 million barrels of liquid asphalt storage located at 53 terminals in 26 states, 6.9 million barrels of above-ground crude oil storage capacity located primarily in Oklahoma, 604 miles of crude oil pipeline located primarily in Oklahoma and 63 crude oil transportation vehicles deployed in Oklahoma and Texas.
No. 9: Magellan Midstream Partners
This year has been filled with unprecedented challenges for both businesses and consumers, especially when it comes to the oil and gas industry, but Magellan Midstream Partners LP, still managed to crack the top 10 in this year's Oklahoma Inc.
Magellan is a Tulsa-based company that transports, stores and distributes petroleum products and crude oil. This year, the company ranked No. 9 in Oklahoma Inc.’s list of most successful companies, only down two spots from No. 7 in 2019.
No. 12: Cypress Environmental Partners
Check out the full list of 28 companies (stories featured only the top 10)
No. 13: WPX
WPX Energy Rick Muncrief speaks in 2019.
No. 14: Mid-Con Energy Partners
Investors continue to be concerned that oil and gas companies have more financial risk than other types of businesses, this year’s Oklahoma Inc. rankings show.
A year ago, about 75% of the 33 companies in the state that were traded on major exchanges were energy related. This year, there were five fewer companies on major exchanges by the time June 30 arrived, and all of the departures were energy industry operators.
Of the 28 remaining, just 19 were involved in the energy industry as exploration and production, midstream or support operators. Of those, only three landed spots among the best 10 Oklahoma Inc. performers for 2020.
No. 16: ONEOK
No. 18: Matrix Service Co.
No. 20: Helmerich & Payne Inc.
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Shenoi
Tim Stanley
Staff Writer
I'm a general assignment reporter and the writer behind the award-winning "World War II Veterans Remember" series and book. Phone: 918-581-8385
