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MISI is a cybersecurity nonprofit fueling the people and technology needed to solve critical cybersecurity challenges. MISI’s three pillars of focus include: small business and academic engagement, STEM and workforce development, and proof of concept innovation.
Through collaboration with small businesses, academic researchers and non-traditional members of the cybersecurity community, MISI serves as an intermediary and helps connect U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) and the U.S. government to the innovative products and solutions needed to advance the nation’s cybersecurity capabilities.
We thrive on finding fresh ideas and the people with passion needed to convert current and emerging cyber technologies into capabilities at maximum speed.
What We Do
Everyone is connected to “cyber” in one way or another – like getting to work in the subway, or powering the electric grid to keep our homes up and running. MISI’s work is fueled by a desire to help keep cyberspace protected, and empower current and future cyber warfighters.
Small Business & Academic Engagement
MISI pursues engagement with researchers in higher education settings who are doing research in all areas of cybersecurity, for example examining malware, working on rail security, etc. It’s our job at MISI to find those researchers, programs, and non-traditional people working in academia that solve some of U.S. Cyber Command’s biggest challenges.
Other initiatives include hosting small businesses to offer guidance to assist them in providing their solutions to USCC and entrepreneurship, such as our partnership with the Maryland Department of Commerce’s Global Gateway Soft Landing Program.
STEM & Workforce Development
There are many ways to support K-12 students, college and university ecosystems, and current members of the workforce. This could look like “cyberships” (our favorite word for internship) and apprenticeships, competitions designed for all skill levels like our Hack the Building series, or Cyber Saturday and GenCyber type events hosted jointly at MISI facilities.
We are constantly working on innovative solutions to help solve the nation’s shortfall of skilled cybersecurity professionals, and MISI firmly believes that initiatives that nurture the future workforce are critical. Through events run by MISI, or collaborative opportunities with other industry resources, we hope to ignite curiosity in younger students that will lead to a new passion for cybersecurity while they gain practical skills.
One such event is Cyber Quest, MISI’s own STEM initiative designed to bring the world of cybersecurity to kids. In collaboration with GenCyber, local schools and other organizations, MISI’s Cyber Quest events present immersive and interactive cybersecurity activities to inspire and educate the next generation of cyber warriors. For each Cyber Quest event, a team of MISI subject matter experts and experienced engineers develop a custom playbook of scenarios for students to work through, giving them firsthand experience and new insights into the cybersecurity landscape.
Our Hack the Building events feature hacking competitions and a series of cybersecurity presentations and cybersecurity exercises for students and professionals. We want to empower cyber war fighters to defend our most critical infrastructures.
Proof of Concept Innovation
MISI is honored to play a role in supporting local, national and international companies that are interested in bringing innovative, cutting-edge technology to the U.S. Our mission is to work with non-traditional companies that have the potential to address the U.S. Department of Defense and other government cybersecurity needs. Some of the ways we support proof of concept innovation for the industry include:
- Rapid prototyping events (RPE)
- Technical Evaluations
- DreamPort lab (critical infrastructure city)
Visit our spaces of collaboration
We operate programs out of MISI facilities, including two nationally acclaimed Cyber Mission Accelerators with approximately 100,000 square feet of space: DreamPort and MindScape. DreamPort was created in partnership with US Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) as a non-government owned or operated independent facility to provide cyber national mission forces and partners with continuous innovation in cyber capabilities.