UT Austin Opens Regional Cybersecurity Center in Campus Library
The new facility gives student analysts hands-on experience protecting thousands of local government and education institutions across Texas.
- By Jesse Jacobs
- October 07, 2026
A new facility dedicated to statewide cyber defense and workforce development has officially opened, according to a recent report by the University of Texas at Austin.
Located in the Perry-Castañeda Library, the upgraded home for the University of Texas Regional Security Operations Center gives student analysts a centralized space to monitor threats and respond to incidents. The center operates under the university's Information Security Office in partnership with the Texas Cyber Command.
The center's origin stems from state legislation passed after coordinated ransomware attacks impacted 23 Texas municipalities over a 24-hour span in 2019. Senate Bill 475 established funding for regional centers to provide security services to local public sector entities that lack dedicated cybersecurity resources.
Funded by the state, the center provides free security services to more than 3,300 local institutions, including public school districts, municipalities, counties and utilities across all 254 Texas counties. Services include real-time monitoring, incident response, policy support and educational outreach.
The program serves a dual purpose as a training pipeline to address a workforce shortage in the state's technology sector. The center employs 78 student analysts who undergo 300 hours of instruction before working with clients. Students from various academic disciplines gain direct operational experience managing security reports and assisting local administrators.
Prior to moving into the library facility, student analysts worked asynchronously across multiple locations. The dedicated workspace features specialized monitoring equipment to support real-time collaboration among student teams and professional staff.
According to officials, the center aims to address an estimated 40,000 open cybersecurity positions in Texas while securing critical infrastructure and public institutions statewide.