UT Rio Grande Valley RSOC Added to Growing Statewide Network

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) celebrates opening its regional security operations center (RSOC) Thursday, continuing the march toward a connected, statewide cyber defense.

UTRGV joins Angelo State University (ASU) and UT Austin in providing RSOCs in partnership with the Department of Information Resources (DIR). It will serve the South Texas region from its Edinburg campus.

This is the third of 12 planned sites spanning each economic region as defined by the comptroller’s office. DIR is requesting at least $41.9 million for RSOC 3.0 to support its goal to add four more in the 2026-27 biennium.

The 24/7/365 cybersecurity centers take advantage of established programming and spaces, and DIR partners with the universities to bring guidance and additional technology support. Then staffed by experts and student interns, RSOCs offer valuable services to eligible entities and hands-on training to interns.

They provide:

• Real-time network security monitoring
• Alerts and guidance for defeating security threats
• Immediate response to remote and on-site cybersecurity incidents
• Policies and plans to improve the cybersecurity posture of RSOC customers
• Cybersecurity educational opportunities and planning assistance

Entities may include:

• Cities and counties
• Independent school districts and community/public junior colleges
• Special districts
• State agencies
• Organizations defined in Section 39.151, Utilities Code

The ASU center serves West Texas and went online in early 2023. Provost Don Topliff later said the university already had cybersecurity initiatives in place and a relationship with DIR, so the progression to an RSOC was a natural next step.

It has onboarded more than 50 public-sector entities, according to SanAngeloLIVE.com. In June 2023, there were about 38.