In an op-ed shared by the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance, “Cybercrime is a Growing Threat Indiana Communities Need to Address,” Jud Fisher, president and CEO of Ball Brothers Foundation, explains how their foundation is improving the quality of life in Indiana.
Fisher describes how grantmaking for cybersecurity projects can help safeguard the future of the digital world.
Below are excerpts from the op-ed. The full piece can be found at Inphilanthropy.org.
“The threats we face in the digital world are evolving at a frightening pace. From phishing schemes and ransomware attacks to identity theft and deepfake impersonations, the list of cyber threats keeps expanding. As technology advances—and the internet becomes ever more integrated into our daily lives—the security of our information and systems has never been more critical.
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“Recognizing this, in 2020 the foundation began allocating a portion of our grantmaking budget to prepare for a future where cyberattacks and cybercrime are even more prevalent. We launched a grantmaking initiative we call “Project Sybertooth” to make small grants to local organizations working on these issues. We know that the demand for cybersecurity professionals has tripled over the past decade, and the complexity of these roles only continues to grow.
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“In just a few short years, we’ve already seen some notable outcomes. East Central Indiana became home to one of the state’s ten ‘High-Tech Crime Units,’ housed in the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office. This unit processes digital evidence across an eleven-county area and has already served 22 county, municipal, hospital, and university police departments. Additionally, the Muncie Police Department and the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office have new software and equipment that officers can use to secure and process digital evidence.
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“From Indiana’s smallest townships to its largest cities, we must all do more to prepare our communities for future cybersecurity challenges. We are excited ECI is leading the way in addressing these tough issues that have an impact on us all and about the progress being made.”
