UAlbany to Host First Data Breach Research Laboratory

School of Business Program Will Serve as Model for Other Universities

UAlbany's new laboratory will seek to develop digital forensic tools that respond faster to protect information inside a network after a data breach.

ALBANY, N.Y. (November 25, 2014) — The University at Albany School of Business has been selected to host a research laboratory designed to improve exploration into cyber security and incident response. Computer forensic leader, The ARC Group of New York (ARC), has donated software and services valued at more than a half million dollars to support this critical endeavor.

Sanjay Goel, associate professor in the School Business and director of the UAlbany-based NYS Cyber Security Center, will head the new laboratory, which will seek to develop digital forensic tools that protect information after data breaches. He noted that, while defensive tools against cyber breach and the ability to predict future attacks has made strides in cyber security, incident response has fallen behind.

“In the past, information security was focused on perimeter defense, but this is no longer sufficient,” said Goel. “Digital forensics provides visibility inside the network, allowing organizations to monitor network intrusions. This is one of the fasted growing areas in the field of consulting.”

Cyber security and information assurance expert Sanjay Goel of the School of Business. (Photo by Mark Schmidt)

Goel is the director of the new, four-year undergraduate program in digital forensics at the School of Business — the first of its kind in New York and one of only a handful of in the nation. The program provides students with the high-level training needed to meet the information forensics and security demands for organizations in all sectors of the economy, including health care, government, financial services, and private industry. It also includes articulation agreements with SUNY community colleges to attract and recruit the best students from other SUNY schools.

Anthony Reyes, CEO of The ARC Group of New York, said ARC’s partnership with the School of Business will not only improve incident response as it exists today, but will also provide the model for ARC’s five remaining university laboratories, yet to be selected. Reyes said each of the labs, working with ARC, will conduct research, develop tools, conduct training, and promote cyber security awareness in each of its designated regions.

The ARC Group of New York provides consultation services to national and international clients on matters such as detecting computer and network security breaches and the implementation of computer and network security countermeasures. It is the sole distributor of ProDiscover Incident Response, a proactive and reactive computer forensic investigation and information security software. For more information, visit ARC’s website at www.arcgroupny.com.

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