ODU Awarded $1M to Help Small Va. Businesses Guard Against Cyberattacks
Old Dominion University has been awarded $1 million by the U.S. Small Business Administration to help small businesses in Virginia advance cybersecurity infrastructure and mitigate cyber threats.
ODU was one of six recipients of a $6 million Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program grant announced Aug. 14 in Washington, D.C.
ODU’s principal investigator for the grant is Sachin Shetty, executive director at the Center for Secure and Intelligent Critical Systems, part of the Virginia Modeling, Analysis & Simulation Center (VMASC).
“Small businesses are increasingly becoming a target of cyberattacks, and many lack the resources to adequately protect themselves,” said Shetty, who is also a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
In 2021, out of the 34 million cyberattack attempts, 43% targeted small businesses, Shetty said, causing billions of dollars in losses. He pointed out that Virginia has a large concentration of federal and defense organizations, and many small businesses serve them.
“An attack on these businesses would have a catastrophic impact and lead to national security issues,” he said.
The two-year award will fund the design and development of an integrated training and education program that ODU can use to help small businesses defend themselves from attack. Chitra, a small business in Virginia Beach, will help the University implement the program, Shetty said.
Brian Payne, ODU vice president for academic affairs, said the project “demonstrates our collective commitment to using our cybersecurity expertise to enhance economic and business development in our region.”
Co-principal investigators at ODU are Safdar Bouk, research assistant professor with VMASC, and Monique McWhite, director of the Center for Business Development.
The program will:
- Provide cybersecurity assessments and create a report on each business's security posture.
- Provide cybersecurity training to employees.
- Assist small businesses in creating a cybersecurity plan and provide guidance on implementing the plan.
- Provide ongoing cybersecurity support and guidance.
The five other Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program grantees are the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, The Ohio State University, the State of Hawaii Cybersecurity Assistance for Small Businesses and the University of Wyoming.
“Cyber threats can be devastating to small businesses,” SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman said in a press release. “The SBA’s Cybersecurity for Small Business Program leverages the full power of our state governments, territories, and institutions of higher learning to provide turnkey, timely solutions to small businesses, and I am excited to see this expansion across Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, Hawaii and Wyoming.”
Educational Foundation History - The Early Years
The Old Dominion University Educational Foundation signed its charter on April 14, 1955, as the College of William and Mary, Norfolk Division, Educational Foundation. At the first meeting of the Board of Trustees in November 1955, bylaws were presented and adopted, the seal of the Foundation was adopted, and trustees and officers were elected.
In its first year of existence, the Foundation held a fund raising campaign to establish a library at the Norfolk Division. Construction of the library and the Technical Institute began in 1957.
The first meeting of the Old Dominion College Educational Foundation was on November 5, 1962. A campaign was started in June 1963 to obtain supplementary funds to attract or maintain good faculty, particularly in the areas of math, science and engineering. At the Foundation’s fall 1963 meeting, it was reported that approximately 204 faculty awards had been given since 1957. Nine faculty members had acquired doctoral degrees; six would finish the following summer; 10 were working on their doctorates; and four had published books.
The Foundation approved three committees in May, 1967: a Nominating Committee; a campaign committee which was responsible for organizing and directing fund raising; and an Investment Committee which would undertake a study of the funds under the Foundation’s control and make recommendations regarding investments.
In May of 1969, a resolution was adopted to change the name of the Foundation to Old Dominion University Educational Foundation to confirm to the name of the institution, effective Sept. 1, 1969.
We have History Together
Our region. Our commonwealth. Our university. All of us. Every day and every hour we share our diverse experiences and points of view, every minute we spend in the classrooms and labs digging for disruptive ideas, we add another chapter to the "book of us."
We're friends and colleagues, mentors and peers, connected by opportunity and supporting one another at an institution old enough to have traditions, but still young enough to create new ones.
With your help, we will continue to build our dominion of possibility with the shared purpose and strength that drives the $2.6 billion annual economic impact we have on our community.
It takes All Walks of Life to Run the World
We are Monarchs - but we do not consider ourselves to be rulers without equal. Our sovereignty has always been claimed through the diversity of thought that marches through our community, and the over 24,500 students and 164,000 alumni who contribute to it.
We invite you to join us on this journey.
Through deepened investment, we can continue to offer the best educational value in the Commonwealth, and further expand the boundaries of our global reach.
Why Give to ODU?
Old Dominion University has grown with its student body, the expansion of its mission, its commitment to excellence, and the needs of its community for highly educated, technically proficient graduates in the workforce. Gifts to the University allow it to grow in ways that other funding cannot accomplish. Scholarships, special acquisitions, equipment purchases, and the creation of endowments to attract and keep top students and faculty are just a few of the ways private gifts enhance the quality of an Old Dominion University education. In addition, as the value of an education at Old Dominion increases, your degree also increases in value.
Areas of Impact
We will continue to build our dominion of possibility with the shared purpose and strength that drives the $2.6 billion economic impact we have on our community. See where you can make a difference:
Because of scholarships like yours I have made it to the second semester of my Master's Degree at ODU without debt.