A budding cybersecurity industry in the CNMI

InteliSecure is eyeing the CNMI to establish its third security operations aside from Denver and United Kingdom. From left, InteliSecure director of Client Strategy Michael Berruti, chief financial officer Gary Schlisner, vice president Graham Logsdon, and director for Security Operations Jose Padilla. (Bea Cabrera)

Right now, the term “cybersecurity” sounds a lot like jargon—you hear about it often but don’t really know what it’s all about.

InteliSecure, a Colorado-based company and a provider of critical data security services, wants to change that, at least here in the CNMI, with this budding economic activity being touted as a possible answer to the call to diversify the island’s economic base, in addition to tourism.

In December last year, InteliSecure came to the CNMI and, through vice president Graham Logsdon, announced its intention to open an office and access manpower in the CNMI.

“We are looking for talents in the CNMI to work as ‘analysts’ in the company who will work in conjunction with our analysts in the [United Kingdom] and Denver. …They will monitor our clients, make sure that they are safe from any activities that we feel are suspicious or dangerous and so we can help them mitigate the risk of that,” Logsdon said.

If you think your cybersecurity portfolio lacks enough shine, don’t fret. Logsdon assured that the company is not looking for someone with the best and most impressive cybersecurity résumé. “We hire people who are willing to learn, eager for knowledge, hardworking, and we want them to grow in the organization,” he said.

Since then, the process has been moving along, according to economic research and data analytics consultant Matthew Deleon Guerrero. “InteliSecure and Latte Training Academy are working together to put a security operations on track. …With the two partnering up, the experience has been great, the process is smooth and it is something that we are grateful about,” he said.

“We are moving along the process as we have a good set of the first cohort who are in the training process toward the first level of certification. The first batch has 10 participants and their development in training is looking really good,” he added.

In a press statement from Latte Training Academy, they said that the CNMI’s first cybersecurity firm is on target to launch in the second quarter of 2020 and that their partnership with InteliSecure will bring a new economic driver to the CNMI.

“…we are extremely excited with the progress that InteliSecure is making toward launching the Marianas operations. The Latte Training Academy Inc. is currently running an Information Technology Fundamentals certification course and will be launching its second cohort in late February to fill the employment demand for InteliSecure,” said LTA board member Ed Arriola Jr.

Deleon Guerrero said that the time has come for the tech industry to expand into the CNMI. “This will give some leverage to help with the economy and having it led by local workforce and local talent opens many possibilities.”

“Having those as the important component of the business development process, there will come a time that it wouldn’t matter whether a foreign development or investment will come in , as long as it can be driven by local workforce that has the skills and abilities,” he added.