“Everybody has something that can be stolen,” says Carla Miller. “So just imagine what a little breach can do to a whole company, or a whole building.”
Miller is a growing voice in the conversation about the role of cybersecurity in smart infrastructure.
As a General Manager for Albireo Energy in the Southeast, a leading independent building controls and energy services business, she’s on a mission to educate more building owners and operators about the relationship between technological innovation and prevention of cybersecurity incidents.
With the evolution of smart buildings happening concurrently with Miller’s 20 years in the industry, she’s had a front row seat to the constantly changing technologies that make intelligent buildings work.
Her passion for cybersecurity stems from understanding how building systems work from the inside out. While some companies view cybersecurity as loss prevention and others think of it as a competitive advantage, Miller sees it as a necessity. Miller believes outdated software in building systems is one of the biggest and most basic cybersecurity precaution owners can take. Ensuring companies keep software patches up-to-date is vital, according to Miller.
Counseling Albireo Energy’s clients on how to manage cybersecurity risks in building systems means also investing in employees. That’s why in 2023, Miller has chosen to enroll her first staff member in the first operational technology Cybersecurity Apprenticeship program that was recognized by the White House, the U.S. Department of Labor and multi-government agencies to address cybersecurity for the smart infrastructure industry. Launched in January 2023, the Cybersecurity Apprenticeship was developed by Automations Strategy & Performance, Inc. (ASP) and is delivered by Emerging Technologies Apprenticeships.
The Cybersecurity Apprenticeship is a unique program designed to build needed cybersecurity competencies in building automation roles, giving employers like Albireo Energy a way to ensure its employees are trained according to the latest security protocols. Miller sees the cybersecurity apprenticeship program as a great fit for current employees, and in addition to her first enrolled apprentice, already has 10 more employees identified for the apprenticeship program.
Like many industry insiders, Miller believes that upskilling current employees is a crucial measure for employers waiting for new talent to join the smart infrastructure sector. Miller also sees the cybersecurity apprenticeship program as the bridge the building automations industry needs now, “The program is poised to attract and bring in more people with that tradesmen mentality and work ethic. It’s what we need to expand the workforce.”
Learn more about Emerging Technology Apprenticeships and how to build the team you need here.
ASP is a partner of Appteon, Inc, a U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship Industry Intermediary.
Publish Date: 03/07/2023