Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity Paradigms for Arts and Entertainment
Through my undergraduate experiences I learned many things regarding writing, literary criticism and creative expression through the Fine and Performing Arts department and Humanities. During my final year of college, I started to become more interested in the technologies that influences the fine and performing arts rather than being a performer myself, like I typically had been in the previous three years.
After graduation I embarked on a journey to fulfill my dream to be a fulltime writer. It took several years before I was able to have enough freelance work and employment as a writer before I learned what it was like to be one fulltime. I can honestly say it can be very challenging and time consuming, but the quest of using your best skills in order to help an organization achieve its goals is something that all workers should aspire to accomplish.
As algorithms changed for the major search engines, so did the opportunities for writers. I reached a point where it would be wise to study something else in addition to using my writing skills in order to remain an employable resource. A former co-worker, who is now one of my best friends and mentor, suggested the study of cybersecurity. I was a little apprehensive at first because I did not know how I was going to tie cyber with my appreciation for arts and entertainment. I decided to enroll in a master’s program and give it a try, to see if I can make things go together seamlessly.
My second course for the program was on Critical Infrastructures (water, electricity, transportation, etc.). I learned many techniques on how to protect and manage the networks that maintain the operations of these critical infrastructures. A few weeks into the class, I found something that was applicable to my interest in arts and entertainment.
We discussed professional models that can be used by cyber staff to explain phenomena in the security of networks and systems. We looked at several different models, but the two that really struck my interest were the Interdependency and Economic models. The concept of interdependency, or critical infrastructures increasing their effectiveness by collaborating with others, is the exact term I was looking for to express how what we typically call “the arts” is really “arts and entertainment” due to the fact that artists collaborate with others frequently. These collaborations lead to new opportunities, more efficient and effective operations, and new forms of art. The Economic model underscored the importance of measuring how industries use their resources and the outcomes of their decisions, which happens everyday with producers for theatre, television, film and other disciplines.
When you apply the arts and entertainment industry to the Interdependency and Economic models, there is a gray area in which all parts intersect. I am very curious about this gray area, as I believe it has the potential to make arts and entertainment more collaborative and meaningful to economies throughout the world. By exploring this gray area, we can find new ways to make it easier for artist to collaborate with each other, create new jobs and expand existing ones.