TekStream Whole-of-State Mission Gives Back at NASCIO 2025 Mid-Year

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TekStream, a cybersecurity and IT solutions leader, builds on its mission to address the cybersecurity workforce crisis as a Give Back Program sponsor for the NASCIO 2025 Mid-Year Conference. Aimed at supporting local nonprofits in NASCIO conference host cities, this year’s program supports Level Up Philly’s mission to close the digital divide in Philadelphia by investing in the community’s tech skills.

“As a NASCIO member, we felt driven to donate 25% of our sponsorship fee to this year’s Give Back recipient,” said TekStream CEO Rob Jansen. “There is a lot of synergy between Level Up Philly’s work in providing STEM education to disadvantaged communities and access to digital resources and our work in developing the next generation of cyber engineers under our Whole-of-State approach.”

Pioneered in public-private partnership with Louisiana State University (LSU), Splunk and AWS, TekStream’s framework has fast become the go-to solution for public sector CISOs and CIOs looking to harden their defenses. The novel approach blends workforce development with a flexible cost deferment investment model that gives the public sector long-term control over their programs.

Public sector CISOs and CIOs can upskill employees/community members or leverage students to power the shared Security Operations Center (SOC) under TekStream’s Whole-of-State approach. Participating individuals get just-in-time training working alongside TekStream employees to detect, respond and recover from potential cyberattacks under its Splunk-powered MDR services.

At higher education institutions like LSU, where TekStream’s framework has been running since 2023, students working in the SOC graduate with skills equivalent to those of a mid-level cyber engineer. When combined with a dashboard detailing activities and events completed in the SOC, the path from graduation to job placement is accelerated — a must with AI reducing the need for entry-level cyber roles.

"Public sector institutions need to solve the talent gap first if they want to protect their assets from the growing number of cyberattacks," emphasized TekStream Executive Vice President Judd Robins. "No amount of funding will offset the fact that people are the key to securing our digital futures. That is why programs like ours and Level Up Philly are so important."

Like the partnership between Level Up Philly and local state organizations, TekStream’s framework is also built on the premise that we are better together. Leveraging a distributed network to set up the infrastructure of a multi-tenant SOC with AWS and Splunk enables public sector institutions to protect their assets while benefiting from shared intelligence and an enhanced security posture.

Cost and talent burdens that have traditionally held public institutions back from setting up best-in-class SOCs are greatly alleviated under this model. As the proficiency of those participating in the workforce development program increases, the cost and level of TekStream involvement decreases — providing the public sector with a better pathway to enhanced security operations.

“The workforce crisis is not siloed to the public sector,” Jansen concluded. “It’s a situation that affects all of us. Like the ethos of NASCIO’s mission statement, working, collaborating and sharing best practices is necessary to protect the integrity of our social institutions. And the best way to do so is with a unified front.”

With the need for talent growing in step with the number of cyberattacks, TekStream’s framework has risen as a viable and cost-effective solution for public sector institutions. What started as a concept at LSU has grown to a nationwide model that is now replicated across 40 organizations, earning industry recognition with three Cybersecurity Excellence Awards and inclusion in the 2025 Gartner^® Market Guide for Co-Managed Security Monitoring Services.

Learn more about TekStream’s novel approach at www.tekstream.com/whole-of-state, or enjoy a beverage at the TekStream-sponsored coffee bar at NASCIO and connect with members of the team.

About TekStream

TekStream, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, helps clients accelerate digital transformation by navigating complex technology environments with a combination of technical expertise and staffing solutions. TekStream provides battle-tested processes and methodologies to help companies with legacy systems get to the cloud faster so they can become more agile, reduce costs and improve operational efficiencies. With hundreds of successful deployments, TekStream guarantees on-time and on-budget project delivery and is proud to have 98% customer retention.