Mercyhurst, SEC partner on new Business Intelligence & Innovation Lab
A Business Intelligence & Innovation Lab (BI2 Lab) designed to provide corporate decision-makers with actionable intelligence and information analysis, is opening this fall at Mercyhurst University, thanks to a partnership between the university and the Security Executive Council (SEC).
The SEC is a leading research and advisory firm focused on corporate security risk mitigation strategies. Through its partnership with Mercyhurst these past four years, Mercyhurst students in Intelligence Studies, Cyber Security, and Data Science have reaped the benefits of gaining applied experience working on real-world projects for SEC Tier 1 clients.
“This initiative is the first of its kind in analysis and intelligence,” said SEC Managing Director Bob Hayes. “Due to the staggering amounts of information available to decision makers, the BI2 Lab is a needed resource and provides an opportunity to develop actionable, decision-making capabilities for senior executives in the private sector.”
The grand opening is slated for Monday, Oct. 23, at 3:30 p.m. with demonstrations of BI2 Lab products, capabilities, technologies, and software followed by a reception for attendees. SEC subject matter experts and Tier 1 security leaders, Mercyhurst faculty, and 2023 student analysts will all be in attendance.
“The SEC continues to be a generous, highly engaged partner. We are so thankful for their ongoing support, and their openness and creativity in finding innovative ways to support Mercyhurst students,” said Lindy Smart, executive director of the Ridge Department of Intelligence Studies. “The Business Intelligence & Innovation Lab will provide one-of-a-kind opportunities for our students, especially the Business and Competitive Intelligence major. I am excited and proud to see the projects coming out of this collaboration—which I know will be a huge success for all involved.”
The latest arrangement between the partners calls for the lab to be housed within the existing Center for Intelligence Analysis Research & Training (CIRAT) lab, which is situated in the Federal Resources Corp. Cyber Education Center at Mercyhurst. The lab will empower corporate security practitioners and their executives with the ability to ingest information more quickly by breaking it down to a manageable and actionable level—without increasing their staff.
“New hardware, software, and server have all been provided to support the new lab; essentially, it is a sub-lab within the CIRAT lab,” explained CIRAT Director Brian Fuller.
The lab will be staffed by Mercyhurst student analysts and steered by an SEC Issues & Innovations Guidance Council comprising SEC subject-matter experts, security practitioner leaders, SEC staff, and Fuller.
“Not only does the partnership yield optimum corporate intel experience for students, but it further enhances the SEC’s ability to provide private-sector security leaders with real-time and predictive information to help them make more informed business decisions,” Fuller said. “We see Mercyhurst capabilities in intelligence analysis, cyber analysis, and data science as a critical combination of knowledge and resources that can be applied in the private sector much like we have done for decades in the public sector.”
About the Security Executive Council
The Security Executive Council is the leading research and advisory firm focused on corporate security risk mitigation strategies and plans. We work with security leaders to transform security programs into more capable and valued centers of excellence. Watch our two-minute video for a quick overview or visit us at www.securityexecutivecouncil.com.
PHOTO: CIRAT Director Brian Fuller works with students in CIRAT lab.