Page 79 - Cyber Defense eMagazine forJune 2021

Clean Water Shows Us Why Cyber Certifications Matter

By Yaron Rosen, co-founder and president, Toka

In the early 20th century, as mass industrialization happened and cities developed, there were huge
challenges getting the systems on which new urban centers relied safe and secure. One of them was a
challenge that faced even the very first settlements: access to clean water.
As new pipes were laid and water flowed through taps, new issues quickly arose around keeping the
water supply safe. This resulted in standards to be set on what constituted “safe” water and the equipment
needed to maintain that, including the chlorination process to disinfect water that started in Europe and
quickly spread throughout the United States beginning in 1908. To run water systems, cities needed
operators who knew what they were doing. States in response passed laws requiring certification to
operate a water treatment facility based on specific education, training, and experience requirements.
The federal government later tied funding to states with compliance with a certification program.
Today, the growing infrastructure on which modern life relies is cyberspace, and its safety is a serious
concern for the functioning of society. While the technology powering the internet is exponentially more
complex than an early 20th-century water system, the requirements to keep it safe are the same. Like
we did a century ago, we need to require cities and localities to meet basic technical requirements in their
networks and employ people certified to keep the digital landscape safe. At the moment, too many cities
are using outdated technology and do not have the experts necessary to defend themselves in
cyberspace.

Cyber Defense eMagazine – June 2021 Edition 79
Copyright © 2021, Cyber Defense Magazine. All rights reserved worldwide.