August 11, 2009

U of C creates new Institute for Security, Privacy and Information Assurance

The new institute has a strong force behind it.

The University of Calgary is collaborating with academics, private sector and government to create the premier Canadian Institute for Information Security and Privacy (ISPIA) for research, development and training.

“This institute addresses the whole system concerning information security and privacy and will provide cutting-edge research,” says Sandy Murphree, dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary. “It also stretches beyond the technical and mathematical challenges and reaches into societal, legal and business issues.”

The ISPIA is built around existing core strengths at the U of C which include: cryptography, systems and software security, network security, privacy enhancing technologies and quantum cryptography and quantum computing.

It will also draw heavily on experts in other U of C faculties, including the Haskayne School of Business and the faculties of law, medicine and social sciences and will investigate areas of mutual interest with specific departments and centres such as anthropology, sociology, bioinformatics, biomedical engineering, Centre for Health and Policy Studies, Division of Health Informatics and Industrial Design.

“Without doubt, ISPIA will be, by far, the strongest group devoted to information security and privacy in Western Canada,” says Hugh Williams, a professor in the U of C’s math Department and iCORE chair in Algorithmic Number Theory and Cryptography.  He will co-direct the institute with Rei Safavi-Naini, a professor in the U of C’s computer science Department and iCORE chair in Information Security.

ISPIA also works with private companies to provide solutions for cyber security. U of C scientists are already working with companies such as software firms Symantec, Microsoft and Google, telecom firms Motorola, Nokia and Rogers, and infrastructure providers such as Cybera, to name a few. It also has partnerships with the health, energy and defence sectors as well as the government of Alberta.

“To have true autonomy in planning and providing security for our information society, Canada must develop its own security technologies,” says Safavi-Naini.

“Academia, industry, government, and law enforcement agencies must work together to thwart criminal activities that take advantage of the complexity of today’s information communication systems for achieving malicious goals. Our institute will be instrumental in education and development of technologies that provide protection against such activities.”