David Brasfield is CEO of NXTsoft, one of the region’s leading cybersecurity companies.
Thousands of law enforcement officers, prosecutors and judges from all 50 states and five U.S. territories have traveled to the Birmingham region for one reason over the last 12 years – and it may not be the reason you think.
Inside a 32,000-square-foot facility in Hoover is the National Computer Forensics Institute (NCFI), where law enforcement officers, prosecutors and judges from every corner of the country travel to receive training on cybercrime cases – everything from how to investigate network intrusions to how to prosecute these cases if they occur.
How did such an Institute make it to Hoover? In 2007, the State of Alabama proposed what became the NCFI to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Secret Service. This unique collaboration with the U.S. Secret Service and the State of Alabama is rooted in the idea of providing comprehensive cyber education and top-notch equipment and empowering digital evidence processing across the country. The NCFI is now a full headquarters division within the U.S. Secret Service expressly dedicated to its cybersecurity mission, but based in Alabama. Since its opening in 2008 the Institute has trained over 13,100 state and local law enforcement officers, prosecutors and judges from over 2,500 different law enforcement agencies. This state-of-the-art facility currently employs 26 federal employees and three state employees, though its reach is far beyond that.
The Institute is but one example of Birmingham’s growing cyber and information security sector, a sector that, globally, is predicted to hit $1 trillion by next year. In addition to being home base to the NCFI, there’s the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s (UAB) Center for Cyber Security and UAB’s Computer Forensics Research Center, which fights cyber crime and is led by renowned cybersecurity and computer forensics expert Gary Warner, who has worked on cases for Microsoft and Facebook, among others.
The Birmingham region is also home to leading cybersecurity companies like NXTsoft and an active networking and professional scene in the field, leading to Birmingham hosting the CyberNow Summit last year. And, as the industry grows globally, more are recognizing Birmingham’s impact than ever: The NCFI pivoted to virtual trainings in 2020 because of COVID-19 and hosted an all-time high of 85 classes, training 2,886 individuals.
Cyber and information security threats are at an all-time high as the U.S. continues to work from home and more business than ever is being done online because of COVID-19. In a nod to its increasing importance, in 2008 the U.S. Secret Service budgeted $4 million and a staff of four for the NCFI; in 2021, its budget is $34 million with a staff of 26.
“The NCFI has a huge impact on our country,” said Ben Bass, Special Agent in Charge and director at the NCFI. “We train for all types of cases, everything from hacking cases, ransomware attacks, to digital evidence cases involving murder, crimes against children and financial data breaches. We now have graduates of NCFI in every state and all U.S. territories out there working to protect their communities.”
The unfortunate upward trend of cybercrimes means local companies like Birmingham’s leading cybersecurity startup NXTsoft and its secure data solutions software platform have the opportunity to grow through mitigating cybersecurity risk, and, according to David Brasfield, CEO of NXTsoft, there is no end in sight.
“[Cyberattacks] have grown across all sectors; there’s not one sector that’s immune,” Brasfield said. “Small businesses, especially, are low hanging fruit. The health care sector, the financial sector, all different sectors across the board in Birmingham and the Southeast have been affected by various types of cybersecurity threats.”
The company, founded in Birmingham in 2016 and employing 145, is committed to helping people across Birmingham and the entire U.S. understand through education what the threat of cyberattacks are and what they should and shouldn’t do in regards to cybersecurity.
“We matter today more so than ever before,” said Brasfield, who has worked in the industry for over 30 years.
The industry’s growth shows no signs of stopping – as long as there are cyberattacks, there will be an ever-advancing need for cybersecurity. With its technology prowess and robust workforce, Birmingham stands increasingly prepared to respond to that need as it has for years, said Jon Nugent, vice president of innovation and technology at the Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA).
“Birmingham continues to be a hub of cybersecurity initiatives and NXTsoft is an incredibly important part of that ecosystem,” Nugent said. “Our international presence is highlighted by leaders like NXTsoft and the valuable work it does. Young cybersecurity companies are growing in Birmingham, and we expect the local industry to expand significantly in the next several years.”