The anniversary event highlights the clinic’s accomplishments in workforce development and supporting local organizations
In an event at Snapdragon Stadium, elected officials, and industry leaders from the cybersecurity sector and academia gathered to celebrate the first anniversary of the San Diego Cyber Clinic. Launched in summer 2024 by the Cyber Center of Excellence (CCOE), Cal State San Marcos (CSUSM), National University, and San Diego State University (SDSU) with support from Google’s Cybersecurity Clinics Fund and The Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics, the clinic has quickly become a vital resource for the region – working to grow a skilled cyber workforce, increase digital security for all, and serve as a model for regional collaboratives around the world.
In its first year alone, the San Diego Cyber Clinic has supported more than 30 local businesses, 18 faculty members, and 170 students by providing free cybersecurity services to the community while offering invaluable hands-on training to the next generation of cyber professionals.
“The San Diego Cyber Clinic is thrilled to celebrate one year of advancing the cyber workforce while safeguarding small businesses and under-resourced organizations across our region. CCOE is proud to partner with CSUSM, National University, and SDSU to deliver a wide range of free cybersecurity services to the community — all made possible through support and mentorship from Google.org and The Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics. Together, we’re training more students, bolstering more organizations, and forging new partnerships to seed the talent pipeline and strengthen regional resiliency,” said Lisa Easterly, President & CEO, CCOE.
Cybersecurity clinics at higher education institutions provide free digital security services to under-resourced organizations, similar to how law or medical schools offer free community clinics. The San Diego Cyber Clinic provides CSUSM, National University and SDSU students the opportunity to learn cybersecurity and AI skills in an effective, hands-on manner while simultaneously helping to protect vulnerable organizations and critical infrastructure, such as local small businesses, hospitals, schools, and energy grids, from cyberattacks.
According to the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Global Risks Report, cyber insecurity remains one of the top 10 global risks over the next 10 years.Currently, there are nearly 514,000 open cybersecurity jobs available in the U.S., including 44,000 in California and 5,500 in the San Diego region, and demand for cyber professionals is projected to grow 32% by 2033. To ensure that communities, critical infrastructure and businesses, both big and small across the U.S. are secure, there is a distinct need for a skilled, diverse and AI savvy cybersecurity workforce.
“Navigating the recent increase in disruptive cyber attacks on essential services—from local power grids to hospitals—will rely on a strong cyber workforce capable of defending against everyday threats,” said Maab Ibrahim, Head of Economic Opportunity for the Americas, Google.org. “The San Diego Cyber Clinic is a crucial part of this effort: it gives students the hands-on experience they need to start careers, while at the same time providing vital, no-cost security services to local organizations that need them most. It’s a smart investment in both our workforce and the critical infrastructure that communities depend on.”
The San Diego Cyber Clinic is the only multi-institution clinic in the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics with a nonprofit industry partner leading the charge, training students to service clients across the public and private sectors in the San Diego region. Through engagement of key industry, academic, and government stakeholders, including the city-led San Diego Regional Cyber Lab, the San Diego Cyber Clinic aims to grow an inclusive cyber workforce, increase digital security for all and serve as a model for regional collaboratives.
“The San Diego Cyber Clinic is advancing our mission to train the next generation of cyber leaders while safeguarding community organizations. They join 56 Clinics worldwide that have already mobilized more than 3,500 students in service of more than 850 community organizations since our founding in 2021,” said Matthew Nagamine, Membership Director at the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics. “We applaud their impressive first year and look forward to celebrating their continued impact as we work toward the Consortium’s vision of establishing a cybersecurity clinic in every U.S. state by 2030.”
The San Diego Cyber Clinic is one of 15 new clinics that launched in 2024 at higher education institutions across the country, thanks to a collaboration from Google and The Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics. In addition to $1 million in Google.org funding, the tech company has supported the San Diego Cyber Clinic with volunteer mentorship from Google employees, Google Titan Security Keys, and scholarships for the Google Career Certificate in Cybersecurity. Additional information on the initiative is available on Google’s blog and the Consortium’s website.
For more information about the San Diego Cyber Clinic, visit https://sdccoe.org/cyber-clinic/.
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