UW partners with IT firm to improve cybersecurity research

As the world moves further into the digital age, the need for improved cybersecurity now and going forward has become a matter of high importance.

The University of Waterloo’s (UW) Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute and IT infrastructure giant, Kyndryl, have partnered to support critical research to protect data privacy and security.

Essentially, the partnership will create a framework that will help researchers ensure they are focused on the most pressing issues, with a concentrate on the increasing sophistication of cyberattacks and the emerging risks presented by quantum computing.

Stewart Hyman, CTO, Kyndryl Canada told 570 NewsRadio Kitchener, the interconnectivity of our daily lives and growing reliance on information technology will require security to keep pace.

“As we expand to billions and billions of devices that have to have these secure communications, we need have technologies that scale and provide continued security as we move into the quantum era.”

Hyman said quantum technology presents a particular problem because it is still evolving so security experts will have to stay ahead of the curve to ensure the hackers can’t take advantage of the powerful technology.

He noted that UW was selected because of its reputation for being a research leader, especially when it comes to quantum computing.

“We actually looked at multiple universities around the world and there were very specific reasons why UW was selected. By the way, not by the Canadian contingent of Kyndryl but by the global research division who said Waterloo is the one we want to partner with.”