Cybersecurity
In the cybersecurity industry, the stakes are high and there’s no margin for error. Howard County’s cyber ecosystem helps companies collaborate on threat intelligence, minimize risks, and maintain their competitive edge. For more information, please contact the HCEDA Business Development Team.
Location
Rich in lifestyle amenities, Howard County, Maryland tops the charts as one of the safest, coolest, healthiest, and most educated places to live in the U.S. Proximity to federal agencies, partners, and talented people is pure market power. Having a physical presence near collaborators in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia makes it easy for businesses to communicate return on investment and close the deal. The National Security Agency (NSA), U.S. Cyber Command, and the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) at Fort George G. Meade are close at hand, accelerating teamwork and expediting results.
Talent
Local talent has the experience, education, and motivation that’s sought-after in the cybersecurity field. To put our value proposition in context, 62.7% of Howard County residents, age 25 and older, hold a bachelor’s degree at a minimum—double the national average. The Baltimore-Washington region is home to the second highest concentration of cybersecurity jobs in the nation and a workforce of 90,000 cyber professionals. Whether anticipating the next moves of adversaries or developing radical technologies, local talent elevates the startups, mid-size firms, and Fortune 500 companies calling Howard County home.
Talent Development
Agility is everything, so we prioritize talent development at every phase of learning. To build a workforce with targeted capabilities, our top-ranked public schools prepare students for cyber careers and industry certifications—all before earning their high school diplomas. When it comes to higher learning, Howard County is minutes away from 56 higher education institutions in the region, including University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins, and UMBC. Emphasizing the key facets of information assurance, the cybersecurity curriculum at Howard Community College keeps knowledge and training on point.
Innovation
Information shared across teams, industries, and federal agencies is the best defense, and the idea exchange is energetic in Howard County. Ranking in the top 1% of the Innovation Index 2.0, our capacity for discovery positions cyber businesses for boundless success. With access to 17 National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, 72 technical laboratories, and over 150 cyber businesses in the community, firms tap into a diverse base of expertise that benefits the nation–and the bottom line. From the AI labs informing defense strategy to the advisory support given at the Maryland Innovation Center, our companies execute critical missions with confidence.
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