Cybersecurity is now a global industry and has solidified three of its largest geographic ecosystems in: Silicon Valley/ San Francisco, metropolitan Washington D.C., and Israel. Understanding regional ecosystems (clusters) as areas of innovation emerged in the 1990s when Harvard’s Michael Porter popularized the concept and Silicon Valley began to be celebrated. Using the Cybersecurity500 as a proxy of influence– 24% of the cyber industry’s important firms are SV/SF, 10% are in Washington, and 8% are in Israel.
In this research we will: Assess the emergence and development of the cybersecurity industry, how this industry developed, where, and why it looks as it does today; map the geographical spread of the cybersecurity industry; Analyze the role of key stakeholders in developing the industry using network analysis tools; Analyze the spatial and planning features of the cybersecurity industry; Develop a framework for policy makers.