Edward Vasko

Edward Vasko has worked in the cybersecurity sector for over 33 years and for the last four years, he has served as the director of the Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity at Boise State University.

Vasko shared that the most significant professional accomplishment in the last 18 months was the development of the experiential platform called the Cyberdome, which was recognized in the press and from the White House Office of the National Cybersecurity Director (ONCD). Currently, the team of students and mentors in the Cyberdome keep watch over more than 10,500 assets across Idaho and in the first half of 2023 alone, they protected clients against 350 real-time cyber-attacks.

“Being able to provide a platform through which students can obtain critically needed real-world experience before entering the workforce is what I call a ‘win-win-win,’” he said. “The Cyberdome enables students from all over the state to work together to defend rural and underserved communities, regardless of their ‘home institution.’ In other words, we have students at Boise State working alongside students from the University of Idaho, College of Eastern Idaho and all our other public institutions. And from here, it is only going to get better!”

Looking at Idaho’s workforce, Vasko believes that a combination of things will help propel the state into the future ― balancing the attraction and retention of businesses outside of Idaho, re-tooling the education ecosystem, exposing working-age students to pathways, enabling lifelong learning and becoming comfortable with change.

“If we want Idaho to thrive and succeed, we need to openly accept that change is happening, and that this is (generally) a good thing,” he said.