Texas Border Business
By Amanda Sotelo
The South Texas College Cybersecurity program recently secured a $467,000 Advanced Technological Education (ATE) grant from the National Science Foundation to create the Rio Grande Valley’s first Cybersecurity Clinic.
The three-year grant awarded by the U.S. Government’s independent science agency, will provide STC with the funds to help local small businesses, free of charge, establish a secure networking infrastructure that will keep their company and customer data safe, while providing students with crucial real-world experience.
“We are excited to announce that this initiative, which has been about a year in the making, is finally coming to fruition. There are a few cybersecurity clinics around the state and many more nationally and internationally, but this will be the very first for the Valley,” said STC Assistant Professor of Computer Science Nicholas Hinojosa. “This will help make our business community safer, while providing our students with the experience needed to be more marketable and employable.”
The services offered by the Cybersecurity Clinic will be provided by STC Cybersecurity students and supervised by program faculty giving students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in areas such as risk assessment, incident response, penetration testing, vulnerability analysis and provide cybersecurity awareness training to bolster defense against hackers and cyberattacks.
“This initiative is a win-win for all,” said Francisco Salinas, STC department chair and assistant professor of Cybersecurity. “We’re very excited. This is going to benefit our students, small businesses and region. It’s only a matter of time until a business experiences a cyberattack, so they must be aware and educated. This is going to save many businesses.”
Through this clinic, STC will become a member of the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics, joining the likes of other national and international colleges and universities such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Texas, the University of Texas El Paso and Northeastern State University, that are providing free cybersecurity clinics, sharing knowledge and breaking down technological barriers.
To kick off the initiative, STC is in the process of recruiting small businesses and students for the project, to officially launch the clinic in spring 2026.
A recent Accenture Cybercrime study noted that nearly 43% of cyberattacks happen to small businesses, and on average, small businesses could spend up to $600,000 resolving a cybercrime incident.
“It is devastating to a small business when they have a breach in data or their network. For many, an event like this could be the end of their business,” said Salinas. “From tarnished reputations to lawsuits, it’s a hard recovery. Our cybersecurity clinic is here to help businesses take a proactive approach to their network and cyber safety to hopefully avoid something like this from happening.”
Hinojosa said this clinic is available to any small business or organization that are underserved in the cybersecurity area, such as nonprofit organizations, health clinics, faith-based organizations, restaurants, boutiques, libraries and schools.
“These clinics are really open to anyone who wants to keep their businesses or organizations safe, and best of all, it’s free,” said Hinojosa. “We encourage our local businesses to reach out about information or to sign up. Although this grant is only three years, our goal is to make this initiative sustainable for many more years to come. This is a great community service effort that will make a positive impact.”
For more information on STC’s upcoming Cybersecurity Clinic or to sign up your small business, call 956-872-3445.
