AMD, Intel Partner to Form Cyber Security Research Alliance

The focus of the CSRA is to tackle the biggest challenges in cyber-security, including research and working groups in areas such as threat mitigation.

Some of the tech industry’s leading companies banded together on Oct. 24 to announce the formation of the Cyber Security Research Alliance, a private, non-profit research consortium formed in response to the growing need for increased public-private collaboration to address the growing list of issues concerning cyber-security. The founding members of the CSRA include Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Honeywell, Intel, Lockheed Martin and RSA, the security division of EMC.

Initially, the CSRA will focus on building the organization and developing viable collaboration models, with activities and focus areas for the organization including the prioritization of the "grand challenges" in cyber-security through the collaboration of all stakeholders, developing viable approaches to technology transfer and tracking cyber-security research and development (R&D) activities.

"The CSRA is organized to leverage expertise, from member companies and partners in government and academia," president of the CSRA and vice president of strategic initiatives at Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Solutions Lee Holcomb said in a statement. "Together we hope to create viable, game-changing cyber-security solutions."

In addition, the CSRA is in discussions with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) involving the arrangement of a joint cyber-security research symposium in early 2013 to connect researchers and early adopters from across the private, academic and government sectors. The organization, incorporated in Delaware, is governed by a Board of Directors drawn from its founding members, including AMD’s fellow and director of security architecture, Ron Perez who will serve as treasurer, and Intel’s trust and security policy and technology manager Claire Vishik, who will serve as secretary.

"Putting into practice the exciting cyber-security innovations that emerge from research requires active partnerships between government and industry and also among private-sector stakeholders," NIST’s director of the Information Technology Laboratory Chuck Romine said in a statement. "The emergence of CSRA can strengthen both kinds of partnerships and we look forward to working with this new organization to promote a trustworthy cyberspace for our nation and its citizens."

The CSRA's priority research areas are data and information sharing, control system security and threat mitigation. Work on CSRA projects and other activities will be carried out by working groups, each focused on a particular challenge, which has typically been defined during the course of a series of workshops. Each working group is chaired or co-chaired by a CSRA Board member. Participation in the working groups is open to all members from industry, academia or government, subject to the Board’s approval. “The intent is to involve the most capable people, the ones who are the most knowledgeable about the particular topic being addressed,” a statement on the organization’s site said.