The city has allocated critical funding for a central cybersecurity hub at Port San Antonio.
The San Antonio City Council on Thursday approved $2.5 million for the Alamo Regional Security Operations Center, or ARSOC, which will be combined with $1.5 million in funding from CPS Energy. The city and CPS Energy will be able to use the space at no cost — a roughly $3 million value over the 15-year lease.
The center will be in an industrial building at 638 Davy Crockett Road at Port San Antonio. It will initially house members of the city's and CPS Energy's security teams in a 20,000-square-foot secure facility. Construction on the center will start this year, and it is expected to be operational by early 2021.
"In an increasingly connected world, it is essential that we safeguard the security of the interconnected systems that we all depend on," Port San Antonio President and CEO Jim Perschbach said in a news release. "The arrival of the ARSOC into our campus is another huge step in advancing our work to grow a technology innovation destination by increasing connectivity — both physical and virtual — so that our leading experts can work more closely than ever before in a joint effort to defend our community and our nation."
Cyberattacks on municipalities are reportedly increasing, particularly ransomware attacks, a type of malicious software designed to deny access to a computer system or data until a ransom is paid. Last August, the Business Journal reported that 22 small Texas communities were attacked by this method.
For San Antonio, this type of collaborative environment reinforces the city's focus to build on protection against these type of attacks, particularly as the ARSOC will help facilitate sharing data between entities. This helps security experts focus on trends that will assist cybersecurity analysts, Will Garrett, vice president and director of cybersecurity development at Port San Antonio, told the Business Journal. He said the location will be a national model for cybersecurity centers, as there are a handful of other cities — such as Los Angeles — that have such centers.
The ARSOC will also house smaller municipalities to gain knowledge on cybersecurity, Garrett said.
Members of the ARSOC can also use Port San Antonio's future Innovation Center — which is slated to also open in early 2021— to build workforces and test products, adding to the overall strategy the Port has built around this targeted industry, Garrett said.
The Port also houses the headquarters of the Air Force's cybersecurity command, as well as the Texas Air National Guard's 273rd Cyberspace Operations Squadron, which supports the Air Force's cyber operations. The 273rd also supports the state's response to cyberattacks against local governments. The Port is also home to multiple private contractors to the Defense Department, including CNF Technologies, CACI International Inc. (NYSE: CACI), Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT), IP Secure Inc. and Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE: BAH).