Center for Internet Security Announces Alan Paller Laureate Program in Memory of Cybersecurity Pioneer

EAST GREENBUSH, N.Y. AND WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Center for Internet Security, Inc. (CIS^®) is proud to announce the creation of the Alan Paller Laureate Program in memory of Alan Paller, an innovative leader and trailblazer in the field of cybersecurity. The program will empower U.S.-based nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and individuals who are focused on improving cybersecurity by making cybersecurity controls demonstrably more effective, simpler, and more automated; developing and equipping highly skilled cyber experts, and improving the teaching of cyber defense at every level.

Paller was the co-founder of the Center for Internet Security as well as the SANS Institute and SANS Technology Institute, the nation's first regionally accredited, specialized cybersecurity college and graduate school, and was well-known and highly respected in the industry for building the cyber talent pipeline. He is also credited with driving change in the public and private sectors that would result in quantifiable improvements in cyber resiliency.

"Alan Paller's positive impact on security touched every part of the cyber ecosystem and changed countless lives," said Tony Sager, CIS Senior Vice President and Chief Evangelist. "At the Center for Internet Security, we're proud to be part of his legacy. And so, we have established the Alan Paller Laureate Program to find, encourage, and support ideas and people that would reflect the spirit of his work." 

"My father was an engineer and an entrepreneur, but he spent much of his energy on even higher goals- the role of technology in society and the need to make the cybersecurity world a safer, more welcoming place," said Alan's daughter, Dr. Channing Paller. "And despite the technical focus of the industry, he knew that finding and empowering good people was the key to meaningful impact. We hope that this program, in some small way, can reflect his passion and optimism."

The Alan Paller Laureate Program will award up to $250,000 annually to eligible organizations or individuals whose pilot projects, proofs of concept, or existing programs are selected through an annual competitive application process.

To learn more about the Alan Paller Laureate Program, including eligibility and the application process, visit the Center for Internet Security.

To speak with CIS's Tony Sager, or Dr. Channing Paller, please contact Kelly Wyland, Media Relations Manager at CIS, at [email protected] or call/text 518-256-6978.

Remembering Alan Paller

Washington Post Obituary

New York Times Obituary

About CIS:
The Center for Internet Security, Inc. (CIS^®) makes the connected world a safer place for people, businesses, and governments through our core competencies of collaboration and innovation. We are a community-driven nonprofit, responsible for the CIS Controls^® and CIS Benchmarks™, globally recognized best practices for securing IT systems and data. We lead a global community of IT professionals to continuously evolve these standards and provide products and services to proactively safeguard against emerging threats. Our CIS Hardened Images^® provide secure, on-demand, scalable computing environments in the cloud. CIS is home to the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center^® (MS-ISAC^®), the trusted resource for cyber threat prevention, protection, response, and recovery for U.S. State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial government entities, and the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center^® (EI-ISAC^®), which supports the rapidly changing cybersecurity needs of U.S. elections offices. To learn more, visit CISecurity.org or follow us on Twitter: @CISecurity.

SOURCE Center for Internet Security