Vigilon Inc. Establishes Homeland Security Training Center and Creates 10 Jobs in Chicago as Direct Result of Recent Homeland Security Trade Mission to Israel
CHICAGO ¬– Continuing his efforts to attract and support businesses engaged in the homeland security industry throughout Illinois, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich today announced a $300,000 grant to Vigilon, Inc., a security software company, to establish The Center for Continual Vigilance (CCV), a cybersecurity initiative in Chicago, which will create 10 new jobs. This funding is being provided through the Innovative Product Grant (IPG) Program administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s (DCEO) Homeland Security Market Development (HSMD) bureau. IPG is the nation’s first state-funded grant program focused on developing products to meet homeland security needs. This represents the first out-of -state recruit for HSMD, which offers a variety of financial tools and services specifically intended to foster growth in homeland security industry businesses. The company was attracted to Illinois after learning about the IPG program during the recent Homeland Security Trade Mission to Israel, held in June of 2006, to help increase trade, investment and collaboration on R&D efforts between Illinois and Israel. The Center’s operations will be headquartered at 212 W. Superior Street in Chicago, with a satellite office to be located at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
“We have created a business climate that is encouraging innovation and investment and putting more people to work, and this is another great example of an internationally successful company calling Illinois home. This is the beginning of a productive partnership with Vigilon that is a direct result of our recent homeland security trade mission to Israel. The message is clear - we’ll never stop investing in companies that invest in Illinois,” Gov. Blagojevich said.
CCV will further Illinois' leadership role in homeland security by partnering with local academic institutions, including the Homeland Security Innovation and Entrepreneurial Center at Northwestern University, the University of Illinois Information Trust Institute, Harper College and the Center for System Security and Information Assurance. Participants in the Center will work together to identify new and ongoing threats to computer systems in order to advance the development of open source cybersecurity software and technology. Innovation fostered through the Center will result in an improved ability to identify cyber security vulnerabilities so that all organizations can better protect data, personal information and communication networks. CCV will train more than 80 students a year and create 10 jobs.
“The state's robust business, technology and educational environment provide an ideal setting for the development of new skills and jobs in the demanding field of cybersecurity. Because of Illinois’ known leadership in homeland security product development, education and training, Chicago is the ideal place for CCV to bring together internationally-renowned experts in security from business, government and the academic community to create a global knowledge hub for computer security threat analysis,” said Alon Moritz, Chairman and Founder of Vigilon. “We are grateful to Gov. Blagojevich for creating such a strong environment of support and collaboration for homeland security businesses and want to thank him for making it possible for Vigilon to play a part in the advancement of this burgeoning industry.”
“We must continue to look for innovative ways to expand our economy and put more people to work. By investing in a world renowned company like Vigilon, Gov. Blagojevich is providing the critical resources that will help the development and advancement of its products, while creating more jobs and helping make our country safer,” State Senator Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago) said.
“In order to boost the economy, we must help companies within and outside of Illinois identify new market opportunities in order to advance their technologies and turn them into successful products. We are committed to making the kind of investments that will support the advancement of technologies and services that help make us secure and create more good jobs,” State Representative Elga L. Jeffries (D-Chicago) said.
“The opportunities Gov. Blagojevich has created for homeland security companies to grow and expand have advanced Illinois as a real leader in the homeland security industry, and the addition of Vigilon’s CCV will allow us to share our policies, innovation and research and development activity and establish ties for even more collaboration down the road. Gov. Blagojevich and I look forward to working with more international companies that want to take advantage of Illinois’ tremendous resources,” DCEO Director Jack Lavin said.
Consul General of Israel Barukh Binah and State Senator Jeff Schoenberg (D-Evanston) welcomed the company to Illinois along with Noa Asher, Consul for Economic Affairs for the Midwest Region, Israel Trade and Investment Center and Matthew Summy, Director of Program Development for the Office of the Governor, State of Illinois.
“We applaud the initiatives of Gov. Blagojevich to recruit and strengthen trade relations with Israel, and I can assure you that the profile of the state, as well as the city of Chicago, will be raised significantly with the addition of this Center,” said Binah.
“Illinois and Israel both possess rich research and development and business resources, and Gov. Blagojevich and I are excited to see that our trade mission has resulted in a match of common strengths that will foster lasting economic ties and pave the way for stronger collaboration within the homeland security and biotechnology sectors,” State Senator Jeffrey Schoenberg (D-Chicago) said.
“Homeland security encompasses multiple industries merging their resources to find solutions to keep our nation safe. Gov. Blagojevich is the catalyst to bringing these companies and their services together in Illinois. No other state in the country is better equipped to be a leader in the homeland security industry. From manufacturing and biotechnology to aerospace and finance, we have an unmatched level of diversity in our state’s economy,” State Senator Ira Silverstein (D-Chicago) said.
“Gov. Blagojevich and I are excited to welcome an internationally recognized company like Vigilon to meet the ongoing challenges in the homeland security market. This support for Vigilon represents an investment in our local economy that will not only create jobs and increase the company’s overall competitiveness, but it also contribute to the nation and the world's safety,” State Representative Lou Lang (D-Skokie) said.
CCV will begin operations that offer area college students the opportunity to gain cybersecurity skills and work experience by contributing to the development of Themis, an open source network security scanner developed and specialized for security and vulnerability assessments. Themis, available for free download at www.themis.org, enables developers around the world to contribute, enhance and collectively improve its’ functionality and is continually being updated with the help of the open-source community.
HSMD administers the Innovative Product Grant (IPG) program to provide up front capital to companies or joint ventures that bring new products to market, and a companion grant program to support educational institutions and not-for-profit organizations engaged in pilot projects or development of sector focused information clearinghouses. To date, $3.7 million in IPG funds have been invested with private companies to bring new homeland security products to market. These IPG investments have leveraged $11.4 million in additional public and private capital, which will create 411 new jobs over the next 24 months. The availability of this capital pool has attracted international attention to Illinois as a leader in the homeland security industry. For more information on HSMD, visit www.hsmd.illinois.gov.
Vigilon, Inc. is a security software company that helps organizations, and the security providers that serve them, reduce business risk while lowering operational security costs. Founded in 1998, Vigilon is headquartered in McLean, Virginia and has R&D facilities in Tel-Aviv, Israel. For more information, visit www.vigilon.com, e-mail infousa@vigilon.com, or call (800) 350-0045.
Gov. Blagojevich recently announced that Illinois added more new jobs than any other state in July. In July, Illinois led the nation in monthly job growth by creating 31,100 new jobs. This is the second time this year Illinois has created more new jobs than any other state, which has never happened before in recorded history. Illinois also led the nation in job growth in April. The total number of new jobs created this year is 76,400, which is the best start to a year since 1998 and best in the Midwest. Since January 2004, Illinois has gained more than 151,000 new jobs, which is also best in the Midwest.
The September unemployment rate in Illinois dropped to 4.4 percent, which is its lowest level since October 2000, from 6.7 percent in January 2003. It has remained at or below the national rate for five consecutive months, which is the first time this has happened in seven years. The state has dropped below the national unemployment rate for the third time this year, which is the first time this has occurred in eight years. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security compiled these statistics.
Site Selection Magazine also ranked the Chicagoland area the top metro region in 2005 for new and expanded business facilities, while Illinois was third in the nation in that category. Business Facilities Magazine named Illinois the top state for biotech growth last year.