Information Technology

Advances in Regional Broadband, along with a talented workforce pipeline developed by graduates of educational programs and skilled IT professionals exiting the military, make the City of Norfolk a key market for the Information Technology industry. Fields within the Information Technology industry include cybersecurity, software development, custom computer programming, computer systems design, data processing and hosting, and modeling and simulation.

Information technology is a rapidly expanding sector regionally with nearly 29,000 IT-related jobs in the Greater Norfolk area. Our IT industry features a strong concentration of cybersecurity firms due to the large presence of military installations and government contractors in the area.

Competitive Advantages:

Regional Connectivity Ring:

• The Southside Network Authority is working to establish a “Regional Connectivity Ring” to connect Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Suffolk, Portsmouth, and Chesapeake to the transatlantic cable landings.¹
• BRUSA, DUNANT, MAREA and SAEX are among the newest and fastest ultrahigh speed transatlantic fiber optic telecommunication cables in the world and make landfall at the Virginia oceanfront. Norfolk has excellent private bulk fiber connectivity to these cables and QTS Richmond NAP.

Research Centers:

• Virginia Modeling and Simulation Center (VMASC): Old Dominion University (ODU) is home to the Virginia Modeling and Simulation Center (VMASC), a multidisciplinary applied research and enterprise research facility of Old Dominion University, located in the Tri-Cities Center in Suffolk, Virginia.²
  • VMASC is staffed by over two dozen research faculty and project scientists.²
  • VMASC provides modeling and simulation, analytic research, and technological support for partners across various industry, government, and community sectors; including, healthcare, cyber security, strategic defense, transportation and infrastructure, usability, and instructional design.²
• ODU’s Center for Cybersecurity Education and Research (CCSER): A primary mission of ODU’s Center for Cybersecurity Education and Research (CCSER) is to develop high-impact, cross-disciplinary research initiatives that center on cybersecurity and be a source of cybersecurity expertise to the University, the Hampton Roads region, and the Commonwealth of Virginia³
  • Cybersecurity, Communications & Networking Innovation (CCNI) Lab: The mission of the CCNI Lab is to carry out transformative research to advance the state of the art in the fields of cybersecurity, communications, and networking, in particular the security for cognitive radio networks, wireless communications, and wireless networking.³
  • Cyber Resilient Energy Delivery Consortium (CREDC): The (CREDC) works to make energy delivery system (EDS) cyber infrastructure more secure and resilient.³
• NSU’s Center of Excellence in Cybersecurity (COE-CS):
  • A collaborative effort with Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center (VMASC) – Old Dominion University (ODU) to establish and operate a Center of Excellence in Cyber Security (COE-CS) with an emphasis in Cyber Modeling, Simulation, Analysis, and Experimentation (CMSA&E).⁴
  • The main research objective of the COE-CS is to develop a cloud-based, big-data analysis capable Cyber Analysis, Simulation and Experimentation Environment (CASE-V) to enhance situational awareness and decision support capabilities for cyber defense and cyber training.⁵
• NSU’s Information Assurance Research Education and Development Institute (IA-REDI):
  • Norfolk State University Information Assurance Research Education and Development Institute (IA-REDI) is the Norfolk State University National Security Agency (NSA)/Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Cyber Defense Education (CDE).⁶
  • IA-REDI provides opportunities for students to learn about the theory and practice of Information Assurance and Cybersecurity. It has also advanced the discipline of IA/Cybersecurity via research, and is rapidly positioning NSU to be a national leader in cyber related research and education. The programs with cybersecurity focus will address the nation’s growing need for a diverse group of qualified computer, network security and cybersecurity professionals. ⁶

Educational Programs:

• Old Dominion University (ODU) offers the following related educational programs:
  • Advanced Engineering – Cyber Systems Security: Certificate
  • Computer Engineering: Bachelor’s
  • Computer Science: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D.
  • Cyber Operations: Bachelor’s
  • Cybercrime: Bachelor’s
  • Cybersecurity: Certificate, Bachelor’s, and Master’s
  • Data Science and Analytics: Master’s
  • Database Administration: Bachelor’s
  • Information and Communications Technology: Master’s
  • Information Systems and Technology: Bachelor’s
  • Network Engineering: Bachelor’s
• Norfolk State University (NSU) offers the following related educational programs:
  • Computer Engineering Technology: Bachelor’s
  • Computer Science: Bachelor’s and Master’s
  • Computer Science – Cybersecurity: Bachelor’s
  • Computer Science – Software Engineering: Bachelor’s
  • Cybersecurity: Master’s
  • Information Technology: Bachelor’s
• Tidewater Community College (TCC) offers the following related educational programs:
  • Cybersecurity: Associate’s, Certificate
  • Cybersecurity Networking: Certificate
  • Database Specialist: Certificate
  • Information Systems Technology: Certificate
  • Network Administration: Certificate
  • Network Infrastructure Specialist: Certificate
  • Programming and Mobile Applications Development: Certificate
  • Web Development Specialist: Certificate

[1]Source: Southside Network Authority,  https://www.southsidenetworkauthority.com/
[2]Source: Old Dominion University, Virginia Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation Center, https://www.odu.edu/vmasc
[3]Source: Old Dominion University, Center for Cybersecurity Education and Research, https://www.odu.edu/ccser
[4]Source: Norfolk State University, Cybersecurity COE,  https://www.nsu.edu/cybersecurity-coe
[5]Source: Norfolk State University, Cybersecurity COE – About Us,  https://www.nsu.edu/cybersecurity-coe/about
[6]Source: Norfolk State University, Information Assurance Research Education and Development Institute (IA-REDI), https://www.nsu.edu/ia-redi