3 Things I Learned at a Critical Infrastructure Research Symposium in East Texas

Insider Threats, AI Adoption, and Emerging Tech’s Impact on Critical Infrastructure

I sat down at the bar at Willie’s Grill and Icehouse in Conroe, Texas. I unbuttoned the top of my dress shirt, rolled up the sleeves, and ordered a bowl of gumbo. The place was new and was situated withing a sprawling shopping center plaza outside of Houston but looked as though it was based on an earlier Willie’s that was a true roadside grill. I sat there with a few friends and colleagues drinking $3 beers and chatting about the conference we just came from. Less than an hour before, I finished giving a talk on state-sponsored intellectual property (IP) theft as part of the Institute for Homeland Security’s (IHS) Research Symposium. It was the first put on by the IHS, a part of Sam Houston State University (SHSU) in Huntsville, Texas.

This was IHS’s first research symposium, but they’ve been sponsoring research related to homeland security and critical infrastructure for multiple years. Over that time, the institute has gathered a network of academic and practitioner minds that are considering important issues related to the security of our critical infrastructure. I’ve had the opportunity to contribute three papers to this effort, but the IP theft paper was the perfect way to close the conference. I was the final speaker to a somewhat thinned out room of experts that were perhaps motivated to stay by the platter of brownies that were brought out just before my timeslot. But I had the opportunity to listen to other presentations and hear from other experts. What follows is a wrap up of the major themes that I heard at this event. These themes are important because they represent a convergence of academic and practical thinking of critical infrastructure in the US and how emerging technology is impacting its security. For those involved in critical infrastructure protection, this is excellent perspective. There are also a lot of lessons for those working in the energy sector as that was heavily favored in the Houston area. So, grab a $3 beer and a bowl of gumbo and let’s talk critical infrastructure.