I had the pleasure of attending the inaugural signing of National Cybersecurity Excellence Partnership agreements yesterday. Key stakeholders in attendance included National Security Agency Director, General Keith Alexander, Senator Barbara Mikulski, Dr. Pat Gallagher of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, and several members of the Cisco team.

Established in 2012 through a partnership between NIST, the State of Maryland, and Montgomery County, the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) was conceived to advance innovation through the rapid identification, integration, and adoption of practical cybersecurity solutions. NCCoE collaborates with industry leaders through its National Cybersecurity Excellence Partnership (NCEP) initiative to develop real-world cybersecurity capabilities.

As a NCEP member and key collaborator, Cisco is dedicated to furthering the mission of securing cyberspace for all. As part of this ongoing commitment, Cisco has launched the Threat Response, Intelligence and Development organization, focusing key resources around cyber security, threat mitigation and network defense for our customers. Read a blog from our CSO John Stewart about this new organization and its charter here.

Governments and Critical Infrastructure providers are increasingly looking to Cisco as we partner with others in the public and private sectors to collaborate in creating new technologies, techniques and tools to help both proactively and reactively prepare for threats that organizations of all types may face in the near future. At Cisco, we are proud that our products have attained more government product certifications and recognitions than any other networking provider. Through years of dedication and hard work, we have established Cisco as the go-to provider of trusted systems and products for critical networks around the globe.

We'd like to extend congratulations to NIST, the State of Maryland, Montgomery County and all of the NCEP partners for the formation of the National Cybersecurity Excellence Partnership and an ongoing commitment to practical cybersecurity solutions.