US Santa Barbara wins zero-trust cybersecurity award
At an event hosted by the cybersecurity firm Zscaler, the University of California, Santa Barbara was awarded the Zero Trust Champion Award, the institution announced Thursday.
The award, which is the first to be awarded to a university, honors organizations that “are fundamentally redefining cybersecurity in the public and educational spheres,” according to a university press release. The institution credited its Secure UCSB initiative, which “catapulted” the university to “the forefront of higher education IT by proving that a robust, modern security model can actively support — rather than hinder — a thriving research ecosystem.”
“I am incredibly proud of our team for receiving this award, which reflects our efforts to be cybersecurity leaders within higher education,” Josh Bright, the university’s chief information officer, said in the press release. “By embracing Zero Trust, we are going beyond just upgrading our infrastructure. We are protecting UCSB’s vital research and its thriving campus community. Secure UCSB positions us to operate securely in our rapidly evolving digital future.”
Universities, which have sprawling IT environments open to many different parties, are among the most targeted institutions and frequently suffer ransomware and other cyberattacks.
