Lakeland Cybersecurity Center Aims to Combat Emerging Digital Threats
LAKELAND,Fla. - A new cybersecurity center launched through a collaboration between Florida Polytechnic University and tech firm Sittadel will focus on proactively designing solutions to combat rapidly evolving digital threats,including those posed by artificial intelligence. The center, based in lakeland, aims to address a critical workforce shortage and bring high-paying tech jobs to Polk County.
The initiative comes as demand for cybersecurity professionals surges nationwide and within Florida. A recent state report projects a 39% growth in jobs for details security analysts between 2021 and 2029. The center’s curriculum will begin with foundational threat defense skills, then progress to exploring emerging threats, especially those linked to advancements in artificial intelligence.
“Will AI remain stagnant? Will it only revolutionize social engineering, or will it redefine how we think about malware, workstation security, or server security?” said Joshua Sitta, CEO of Sittadel. “We’re going to leverage the students and their research focus before it’s too late.”
The center’s approach emphasizes anticipating future challenges rather than simply reacting to existing ones. Students will engage in research to understand how AI could be exploited by malicious actors and develop preventative measures. This proactive stance is intended to position Lakeland and Polk County as a hub for cutting-edge cybersecurity innovation.
This collaboration was reported by Fox 13’s Carla Bayron.
Tags: Polk County, Education, Technology
