Innovative Partnerships Strengthening Cyber Resilience
Arizona’s universities — especially Arizona State University (ASU) and the University of Arizona (UA) — are working closely with cybersecurity leader CrowdStrike. These collaborations serve dual goals: safeguarding campuses and advancing Threat Hunting, Managed Detection, and Incident Response capacities.
1. ASU’s Threat‑Hunting Summit
1.1 Protect Arizona Initiative
Under ASU’s Protect Arizona initiative, launched by the University Technology Office, ASU partnered with CrowdStrike to organize a one-day Threat‑Hunting Summit on October 2 at the Tempe campus
Key Highlights:
- CrowdStrike led hands-on exercises, training staff to proactively detect intrusions.
- 7 strategic themes emerged, such as emphasizing automation, open-source intelligence, and workforce development .
This showcased how university–industry collaboration boosts cybersecurity readiness not just for ASU, but for government and private-sector participants, too.
2. Statewide Endpoint Protection via Arizona Cyber Command
2.1 Pandemic-Era Expansion
The Arizona Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Command enlisted CrowdStrike’s Falcon Endpoint Protection (EPP) and Falcon OverWatch buzzed to secure over thousands of state‑employee devices using AWS
2.2 System Architecture
| Component | Function |
|---|---|
| Falcon EPP via AWS Marketplace | Lightweight agent for antivirus, identity protection, EDR |
| Falcon OverWatch | 24/7 managed threat hunting |
| Falcon Spotlight & Discover | Vulnerability management, IT hygiene |
| AWS Infrastructure | EC2, EBS, S3 & EMR for data processing insidefinance.umich.edu+13aws.amazon.com+13reddit.com+13siliconangle.com+2crowdstrike.com+2events.educause.edu+2 |
By October 2020, ~80% of state agencies had migrated — enabling detection within 1 minute, triage in 10, and resolution under 1 hour
3. Public‑Sector & Higher‑Ed Collaborations
3.1 Strategic Collectives
At EDUCAUSE sessions, ASU and the University of Illinois joined CrowdStrike’s EDU Strategic Threat Advisory team, sharing insights on academic cyber threats and response strategies — led by Tina Thorstenson (former ASU CISO), Joe Barnes, and Donna Kidwell
3.2 Awards & Recognition
CrowdStrike, working with ASU and Arizona State (AZ Dept of Homeland Security), earned AWS Public Sector Partner Awards, highlighting cloud‑enabled threat detection, zero‑trust monitoring, and behavioral analytics
4. Key Benefits Table
| Benefit | Description | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Real‑time protection | Falcon agent + 24/7 monitoring with AWS support | Faster, effective breach mitigation |
| Collaborative forums | University summits, EDUCAUSE panels | Shared knowledge across sectors |
| Workforce development | Training events, internships (e.g., Sales‑Tech at UA) | Cultivating future cybersecurity experts reddit.com+3events.educause.edu+3reddit.com+3reddit.comreddit.com+6events.educause.edu+6events.educause.edu+6aws.amazon.com+3career.cales.arizona.edu+3tech.asu.edu+3insidefinance.umich.edutech.asu.edu+2aws.amazon.com+2reddit.com+2 |
| Cloud‑first systems | AWS-hosted Falcon services | Scalable, nimble cybersecurity posture |
4.1 Workforce Development Subtable
- CrowdStrike University: On‑demand training platform offered to Cyber Command staff reddit.com+7aws.amazon.com+7reddit.com+7.
- University internships: The University of Arizona’s CALES Center hosts CrowdStrike‑sponsored Sales Technical and Talent‑Learning internships for Summer 2025
5. Strategic Outcomes & Future Directions
5.1 Malware Interception & Endpoint Hygiene
CrowdStrike tools caught novel malware on state devices and uncovered shadow IT during supply‑chain incidents, highlighting the model’s value in proactive defense .
5.2 Multiagency Integration
Arizona’s Cyber Command is now extending knowledge and tools to city, county, tribal, and smaller agencies — nurturing a statewide cyber‑defense network aws.amazon.com.
5.3 Evolving Threat Landscape
Tina Thorstenson now leads CrowdStrike’s Public‑Sector Industry Unit, leveraging her ASU CISO experience to build robust public‑sector partnerships siliconangle.com+5crowdstrike.com+5events.educause.edu+5.
6. Conclusion
Arizona’s cybersecurity ecosystem — anchored by ASU, UA, and statewide agencies — is elevating its defense capabilities through synergy with CrowdStrike. From summit‑style Threat Hunting to AWS‑hosted endpoint protection and robust workforce development, these efforts present a replicable model for other states.
As educators, policymakers, and private-sector experts continue sharing resources, training, and infrastructure, cybersecurity resilience in Arizona’s academia and public services is better equipped for tomorrow’s threats.