CISA's Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative: A Holistic Focal Point For Cyber Defense Coordination

Collaboration and communication are necessary in any industry, but in the complex world of cybersecurity, cultivating and strengthening partnerships is vital to national security. Anna Agnes is a Federal Operational Engagement Liaison for the Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency’s Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative.

A FORCE FOR UNITY

“JCDC unifies organizations and operators from across the public and private sectors,” Agnes explained. From service providers and infrastructure operators to cybersecurity companies and subject matter experts, CISA’s JCDC serves as the federal government’s focal point for cyber defense coordination. “JCDC is often engaged on some of the most pressing cyber threats worldwide,” she continued, sharing more on JCDC’s role in leading operational collaboration at home and abroad.

Much of their work focuses on the tech, comms, energy, and financial sectors. “Combining our strengths greatly increases our ability to identify, analyze, share information about and proactively defend against cyber threats,” Agnes shared. This includes CISA’s 2023 JCDC Planning Agenda.

THE 2023 JCDC PLANNING AGENDA

“This work brought together experts from across the government and the private sector to set cyber defense priorities for the year,” she said. “These priorities represent proactive planning and persistent collaboration, which means having everyone on the same page ready to engage in real-time.”

JCDC’s organized and holistic response to the ever-evolving world of cybersecurity would not be possible without JCDC’s operational collaboration model. “This enables our partners to share threat, vulnerability and incident information,” Agnes continued. This approach allows JCDC to share the information with other partners, including state, local, territorial, tribal, and international partners, along with other federal agencies and the public.

HELP SUPPORT THE MISSION

JCDC’s mission is broad, which means CISA seeks people from a variety of professional backgrounds. “Operational planners, partner engagement managers, technical writers, strategy experts, human capital specialists and budget analysts are just a few examples of career opportunities available because it truly does take a diverse collection of skills to make JCDC successful,” Agnes shared.

Regardless of a candidate’s background, CISA and the JCDC team look for people who embody the agency’s core values of community, ingenuity, impact, trust, and initiative.

“So, if you’re a team-oriented individual who’s looking for a diverse work environment and you’re excited about our mission to work across government and the private sector to creatively address our challenges, then you’ll absolutely thrive in JCDC.”