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Congressman Doyle Presents $150,000 Check to Duquesne University for Cyber-Security Initiative
Pittsburgh, PA – November 28, 2006 – U.S. Representative Mike Doyle (PA-14) today presented a check for $150,000 to Duquesne University President Charles Dougherty for a project to help small and medium-sized businesses avoid becoming the victims of computer-related crimes.
“This initiative will help our region’s small and medium-sized businesses to avoid losses from cyber-crimes,” Congressman Doyle said today in making the announcement. “I’m pleased to have been able to provide the federal assistance needed to move this important project forward.”
Congressman Doyle worked successfully last year to include this funding in the Fiscal Year 2006 Science, Commerce, Justice, State, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, the bill that provided funding for the federal government’s anti-crime initiatives for the current fiscal year.
“The University appreciates Congressman Doyle’s support for this initiative with local businesses, and we look forward to continuing this cooperative effort to boost the economy of Southwestern Pennsylvania,” said Dr. Charles J. Dougherty, Duquesne University president. “This will help us to address an important need for businesses of all sizes.”
Cyber-crime has exploded with the rise of the Internet and the growth of e-commerce in today’s global marketplace – and cyber-crime will continue to increase dramatically as businesses and consumers make more use of computers and the Internet. Government and businesses have to struggle to keep pace with new tactics and technology developed or adopted by cyber-criminals. The federal government has been actively involved in cyber-security issues for years, but to date, most of the nation’s cyber-security efforts have focused on government assets and large private enterprises. The government has done very little to address the cyber-security concerns of small to medium-sized businesses.
Duquesne University’s Chrysler Corporation Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and John F. Donahue Graduate School of Business have developed an initiative to help local small and medium-sized businesses grow and compete successfully in the high-tech economy of the 21st century. This project will study the best cyber-security practices among small and medium-sized businesses across Pennsylvania. After assessing these practices, the project will analyze the existing weaknesses in these practices, develop cost-effective solutions for the threats, and provide the results to small to medium sized businesses through a comprehensive outreach effort including online training.
The presentation will be made as part of the Pennsylvania Business Technology Conference that was hosted today at Duquesne University by the Chrysler Corporation Small Business Development Center and John F. Donahue Graduate School of Business.
Duquesne University is a private, coeducational university with more than 10,000 students. Duquesne is consistently ranked among the nation's top Catholic universities for its award-winning faculty and 128-year tradition of academic excellence.
“Duquesne University is a tremendous asset to our region, providing an outstanding education and giving back to the community,” Congressman Doyle observed. “This cyber-security initiative is just the latest example of how Duquesne University is constantly growing and changing to continue to meet our community’s needs. All of southwestern Pennsylvania will benefit from this initiative.”
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