TekStream Addresses Cybersecurity Workforce Development Crisis With Launch of Whole-of-State Approach

In partnership with Splunk and AWS, the new solution empowers the public sector to reduce costs while strengthening cybersecurity teams through hands-on training

ATLANTA, Feb. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- TekStream's Whole-of-State Cybersecurity approach is fast becoming the industry standard for higher education and state agencies looking to enhance their security posture. Since the launch of the student-run SOC at LSU, the framework has been adopted by dozens of institutions, like New Jersey Institute of Technology, Austin Independent School District and others.

Focused on collaboration, shared intelligence and workforce development, TekStream's Whole-of-State solution addresses the public sector's cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Through a shared Security Operations Center (SOC), public sector entities can better mitigate the impact of nefarious actors, ensuring a more resilient digital infrastructure with a united front.

Splunk's SIEM/SOAR technology serves as the foundation of the model and is powered by AWS's cloud infrastructure services. When paired with TekStream's expertise in automation and threat intelligence, the framework provides real-time threat monitoring and rapid incident response. Because the solution is deployed on a distributed network, it enables state and local agencies and higher education institutions to protect their data while benefiting from shared intelligence and an enhanced security posture.

"By the end of this year, experts predict talent shortages or human errors will be responsible for over half of all significant cyber incidents. With more than 600,000 open cybersecurity positions in the U.S. and the government facing the highest percentage of critical skill gaps, the public sector is incredibly vulnerable today," says TekStream CEO Rob Jansen. "Our Whole-of-State approach is designed to keep public institutions safe while allowing them to benefit from a growing pool of skilled cybersecurity professionals." 

Building the solution on top of best-in-class technologies like Splunk and AWS is key to its effectiveness and viability. It enables entities to protect their infrastructures with repeatable, scalable and cost-effective services that evolves at the speed of their needs. Key advantages include:

• Workforce Development: The SOC training and collaboration model provides government and education institutions with a new, lower-cost approach to training new talent and upskilling current IT staff. This builds high-quality cybersecurity talent that addresses the labor shortages driving up costs in both the public and private sectors. New and existing employees are upskilled with hands-on, real-world training through TekStream's Splunk-powered MDR service. Employees work alongside cybersecurity experts to gain a better understanding of how to map threats into frameworks, mitigate and remediate threats as quickly as possible, how to anticipate attacks and more. 

• Establishing Resilient State and Local Governments: The cost-effective framework strengthens public entities' digital defenses while promoting economic growth. It also lessens the financial strain of maintaining individual security infrastructures and the time required to establish one through he advantages of a unified approach and resource sharing. This allows public entities to reinvest in other critical areas.  

• Enhancing Public and Private Collaboration: A coordinated, whole-of-state methodology, underpinned by public and private collaboration, fortifies defenses more effectively. State agencies can leverage the expertise, tools and innovation of private sector companies to enhance their defenses while capitalizing from a cost-advantaged model of trained talent that is more cost-efficient than outsourcing the problem.  

With cyber attacks on critical infrastructures increasing  30% worldwide in 2023 and growing every day, TekStream's Whole-of-State approach provides state, local and education entities with a way forward. It helps them overcome the hurdles of restricted budgets, limited resources and vast amount of data to harden their cybersecurity posture at cost and at scale. 

About TekStream
TekStream, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, helps clients accelerate digital transformation by navigating complex technology environments with a combination of technical expertise and staffing solutions. TekStream provides battle-tested processes and methodologies to help companies with legacy systems get to the cloud faster, so they can become more agile, reduce costs and improve operational efficiencies. With hundreds of successful deployments, TekStream guarantees on-time and on-budget project delivery and is proud to have 98% customer retention.

SOURCE TekStream