New research has been identified as one of the most important mechanisms for assuring the safety of critical infrastructures worldwide. To ensure that critical infrastructures worldwide can accommodate today's challenges and the challenges of the future, the industry must overcome a lack of research focused specifically on the gaps in the security of the critical infrastructures, as well as a shortage of coordination among researchers working on various areas related to critical infrastructure security.
Attempting to both identify these critical gaps and apply subject-matter experts to fill them, the ISRD program conducts and sponsors research aimed at improving the security of the world's critical infrastructures. The ISRD team is also involved in:
- Developing a research strategy that continuously identifies research priorities
- Connecting major players affected by solutions emerging from the research
- Coordinating critical infrastructure initiatives
- Facilitating communications among government, industry, and academia
CIAG collaborates with relevant critical infrastructure researchers to identify and prioritize research gaps in the security of critical infrastructure. We then attempt to fill these gaps by either conducting in-house research or finding appropriate researchers in academia who can conduct research on its behalf.
The ISRD program is not an extension of Cisco product research and development, although some of what is accomplished may be incorporated into current or future Cisco products. Almost all research results are made publicly available in order to encourage the development of technologies and solutions directly affecting critical infrastructure security. Much of the work in which the ISRD engages provides leadership to other researchers and developers who can then influence the work started by CIAG into more sophisticated and possibly commercial applications for the critical infrastructure segment worldwide.
Research Areas
CIAG conducts research spanning a wide spectrum of technologies relevant to the critical infrastructures in the United States and worldwide. These research areas are primarily tied to information security aspects of the critical infrastructure architectures. Emphasis is generally placed on areas of work with the greatest long-term impact on the overall security of critical infrastructures.
Research Mechanisms
Research efforts may take the form of direct analysis by CIAG engineers, financial support to academic institutions, and/or collaborative research with government, industry or academia.
Research Deliverables
CIAG research products include various types of publications including conference and journal papers, tools, speaking engagements at various industry events and contributions to various standardization efforts.
