Yesterday we reported on a gathering of CEOs from tech giants visiting the White House to meet with President Joe Biden. The focus of the meeting was to discuss Cybersecurity and protecting critical infrastructure. It seems the conference went well, with Microsoft, Google, Apple and other tech companies pledging to help bolder cybersecurity in the country.
Exactly what the company’s offer vary. Some are providing billions of dollars towards bolstering infrastructure while others are helping with education and supply-chain resources.
“The reality is, most of our critical infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector, and the federal government can’t meet this challenge alone,” Biden said at Wednesday’s meeting.
Microsoft led the way by pledging $20 billion over a five-year period to promote advancements in cybersecurity. CEO Satya Nadella took to Twitter after the meeting to say $150 million will go towards increasing the capacity of Microsoft’s training network. This will reach more government agencies and help them boost digital security more efficiently.
Thank you @POTUS for convening a critical conversation on cybersecurity. Microsoft will invest $20 billion to advance our security solutions over the next 5 years, $150 million to help US government agencies upgrade protections, and expand our cybersecurity training partnerships.
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) August 25, 2021
A media release from the White House broke down the remainder of Microsoft’s investment:
“Microsoft … will immediately make available $150 million in technical services to help federal, state, and local governments with upgrading security protection, and will expand partnerships with community colleges and non-profits for cybersecurity training.”
Other Pledges
Apple says it will work directly with suppliers to “drive mass adoption of multi-factor authentication”. It will also engage in expanded training and will improve incident responses.
Amazon says it will bolster security with multi-factor authentication devices for all Amazon Web Services customers, without charge. The company will also make all if employee security training public for free.
Google says it will invest $10 billion over five years to help increase cybersecurity abilities in the U.S. It will train over 100,000 people in IT support through the Career Certificate program.
You can check out the White House release that details other pledges from the likes of IBM at the source.
Tip of the day: When using your Windows 10 laptop or convertible with a mobile hotspot you might want to limit the Internet bandwidth your PC uses. In our tutorial we are showing you how to set up a metered connection in Windows 10 and how to turn it off again, if needed.
Last Updated on February 14, 2022 8:21 pm CET
