Cybersecurity command center launches in Phoenix, will coordinate statewide operations

PHOENIX — Arizona’s new cybersecurity command center launched in Phoenix on Monday to protect the state in an ever-increasing digital world.

“Our society is becoming increasingly interconnected through technology, and cybersecurity has become one of the most important issues facing Arizona,” Gov. Doug Ducey said in a press release, relating cybersecurity to homeland security.

“This new command center will be critical in protecting Arizonans and ensuring our cyber infrastructure remains safe and secure.”

Arizona Department of Homeland Security Director Tim Roemer recommended combining state cybersecurity efforts with the department to better protect people from increasing risks online, according to the release.

The department in September alone detected approximately 68 million threats, according to the release, and protected state websites from more than 800,000 attacks.

The command center is located in the Department of Public Safety’s Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center, which was established in 2004 and provides 24/7 intelligence, investigative and technical support to state, local, tribal and federal law enforcement agencies to support the state’s homeland security efforts, according to the release.

Statewide cybersecurity operations will be coordinated at the command center, according to the release, and state agencies are expected to be able to increase information sharing between one another.

The command center will also be an ideal location to enhance public-private partnerships in cybersecurity, according to the release.

It will also house various programs including the Arizona Information Sharing and Analysis Center, which was renamed from the Arizona Cyber Information Program, according to the release.

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