ISAC and ISAO definition
[Editor’s note: This article, originally published on July 3, 2019, has been updated with a directory of ISACs and ISAOs.]
An Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) is an industry-specific organization that gathers and shares information on cyber threats to critical infrastructure. ISACs also facilitate the sharing of data between public and private sector groups.
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ISACs were established under a presidential directive in 1998 to enable critical infrastructure owners and operators to share cyber threat information and best practices. Besides being sector specific, most ISACs are comprised of large companies with a different set of priorities and challenges than a vast majority of smaller organizations and entities, according to Michael Echols, CEO of the International Association of Certified ISAO’s (IACI) at the Kennedy Space Center.