With more than 200 companies serving the cybersecurity market in San Antonio, including all major defense contractors and 100 locally based cybersecurity companies in the private and public sector, San Antonio has grown a "critical mass" of cybersecurity capability “second only to the Washington, DC Metro area in cyber strength,” said the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation (SAEDF), a private, non-profit organization responsible for attracting new business and industry to San Antonio.
“San Antonio is cultivating the largest military and civilian federal cybersecurity community outside of the Washington Metro area, alongsidea dynamic private sector, to support advances in protection and prevention,” SAEDF said in an announcement.
SAEDF said, “The University of Texas at San Antonio’s (UTSA) cyber program has been ranked No. 1 in the nation, according to a just-released survey sponsored by Hewlett-Packard. In February, UTSA announced it would launch an Open Cloud Institute to develop a degree program in cloud computing and big data, and St. Mary’s University announced the creation of its Cybersecurity Master’s degree.”
"San Antonio is a breeding ground for cybersecurity resources, a place where technologies are being developed and enhanced to defend the nation, and a work force is being built to support the cybersecurity technology industry—the fastest growing area of advanced technology investment in the world," said SAEDF President Mario Hernandez.
SAEDF said, “The city builds on an existing growth platform that includes established military operations, and talent and business incubators, establishing great potential for the region and earning national recognition for the cyber industry.”
Continuing, the city’s economic development organization said “the depth of San Antonio’s cybersecurity assets include an interconnected cyber ecosystem; a long history in defense-oriented cybersecurity and cryptologic mission; an entrepreneurial culture; national award winning educational institutions with proven cybersecurity training programs; and a population that embraces and supports the military and information technology.”
"The strength of San Antonio’s cybersecurity industry is evident in the community’s commitment to grow and foster a sector for which it is ideally suited," said John Dickson, principal at Denim Group in San Antonio. "Locally based companies are continuing to grow at a rate of 30 percent per year and innovative technologies are the result."
The 24th and 25th Air Force at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, and NSA Texas, “give San Antonio the largest federal cybersecurity presence in the United States outside of Washington,” SAEDF said, adding, “The 24th Air Force at Port San Antonio safeguards key components of the Defense Department’s information networks and employs more than 1,300. Electronic warfare and other operations are the charge of the 25th Air Force. US Cyber Command officials predict as many as 1,000 additional personnel in the next three years and increased partnerships with private-sector contractors to support the Defense Department’s ongoing cybersecurity mission in San Antonio.
