Boeing 787
The 787 Dreamliner preparing for its maiden flight in December 2009. REUTERS

Boeing Co. has opened a new 32,000-square foot Cyber Engagement Center (CEC) at Annapolis Junction. The facility will provide a collaborative environment where security experts work together to address current and evolving cyber security challenges.

The risks to industry and government cyber security grow every second of every day, stated John Hinshaw, Vice-President and General Manager, Boeing Information Solutions, We've established this center to work collaboratively with our customers to help defend their critical infrastructure -- as well as our own.

According to a statement by the company, the CEC offers secure meeting areas as well as dynamic data analysis, information sharing, traffic intelligence, analytics and other capabilities for commercial and defense customers. It is staffed by cyber security experts and research and development (R&D) teams from across the Boeing enterprise.

The statement also said that Boeing has extensive experience in cyber security, acquired through developing, deploying and defending complex systems for customers, as well as protecting its own global network. The company has made substantial investments in cyber security R&D and acquisitions over the past several years, while connecting capabilities from across the organization to bring the best of Boeing to customers.

Recent acquisitions eXMeritus and Kestrel have brought industry-leading data analysis and secure information-sharing capabilities. Narus and SMSi added real-time traffic intelligence solutions and analytics capabilities to help protect and maintain the integrity of distributed IP networks for government carriers and critical infrastructure employees.

Our recent acquisitions have enhanced our ability to deliver the full-spectrum, defense-in-depth solutions our customers need, Hinshaw mentioned.

Apart from this, Boeing also supports cyber education programs at high schools and universities, including the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competitions and the U.S. Air Force's CyberPatriot program.

Security