SC general sees Aiken County as cyber hotbed

Colin Demarest, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·2 min read

Oct. 25—Aiken County is well on its way to becoming a ground zero for cyber, a leader with the S.C. National Guard said last week, as workforce initiatives, educational institutions and government coalesce.

"You're bringing world-class talent together in a collaborative way that nobody else can compete with," Maj. Gen. Brad Owens said in an Oct. 20 interview. "It's all going to converge right here."

The county's proximity to Fort Gordon, the capabilities of the Savannah River National Laboratory, and the support of elected officials, including S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster, put it on the cyber map.

Colleges offering cutting-edge courses and certifications as well as plans for the DreamPort cybersecurity complex and the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative at USC Aiken have elevated the county's profile further.

"I think this is going to be the portal into the entire cyber enterprise in South Carolina," Owens said. "The radial circles are going to keep expanding further and further out."

The commander of Fort Gordon, near Augusta, earlier this month advocated for cyber growth across the river and, similar to Owens, said the region could become the "cybersecurity capital of the world" — if "we are smart about it."

"As we look at the riverbank, and the growth of North Augusta," Brig. Gen. Paul Stanton said, "we think that there are real opportunities to continue that evolution."

North Augusta Mayor Briton Williams in an August appeal to McMaster described the city as a Fort Gordon suburb. What must be realized, the mayor said at the time, is "that cyber in Aiken and cyber in North Augusta — it can happen simultaneously." And competition is heating up, he suggested, making synergy all the more important.

"We're looking at academia, we're looking at the classroom environment," Owens said last week. "But we're also looking at the field environment with the national laboratory, back at the site, and all the research and development that you can do in a secure environment."

McMaster at the beginning of the year helped announce an in-depth review of the state's cyber status. Understanding exactly what the Palmetto State does and does not offer, officials said at the time, will inform the development of a statewide cyber ecosystem.

"We're really on the edge of something that is just fantastic and probably couldn't have been dreamed of 10 years ago," McMaster said in February. "But here we are now, we're right at the front."