Twenty-one New York City employees have now graduated from the New York City Cyber Academy, a specialized training program designed to bolster the city’s cybersecurity workforce and enhance agency cyber capabilities to defend against threats to essential services and critical infrastructure.
“Congratulations to all our incredibly impressive graduates who are blazing the way to a secure future for New York City,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “Technology is at the heart of nearly everything we provide to New Yorkers, running our water, electricity, and notifying us during an emergency. It is crucial to the future of our city, and that is why we must protect it.”
“Cyber threats can bring our entire city to a halt if we’re not prepared, costing us time, millions of dollars, and even livelihoods and lives. These threats are not going away, and today’s graduating class will be our guardians by building a pipeline of cyber expertise,” Adams continued. “Together, we will keep New York City technology safe.”
This is the first class to graduate from the academy, the mayor’s office said. Per an executive order from Mayor Adams, graduates will serve as liaisons to the Office of Cyber Command, representing their agency and serving as the primary contact with the New York City Office of Technology and Innovation’s (OTI) Cyber Command.
“The New York City Cyber Academy program fortifies our city’s overall cyber resilience by augmenting our cybersecurity workforce and fostering closer working relationships between participating agencies and OTI’s Cyber Command,” said Chief Technology Officer and OTI Commissioner Matthew Fraser.
Through the academy, participants had access to specialized instructor-led, web-based, and experiential training that focused on incident response, network security, and cyber threat intelligence. Mayor Adam’s office said that future cohorts are planned for this spring and fall and will include city employees from agencies that did not participate in this first class. The goal is to have a graduate in each city agency and office by the end of 2024.
“Cybersecurity is a great equalizer – gaining skills in the field can launch a career to new heights,” said New York City Chief Information Security Officer Kelly Moan. “Just as important, teaching these skills across city government will help keep New York City, its systems, and its people safe.”
