History of SC CIC 

In 2015, Governor Nikki Haley created a working group to evaluate the state of cybersecurity in South Carolina. South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) collaborated with state agencies and private sector leaders to outline a vision for safeguarding essential services. In April 2017, Governor Henry McMaster signed Executive Order 2017-08, establishing and giving authority to South Carolina Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity (SC CIC) to assist local, state, and private critical infrastructure organizations.  

The newly created SC CIC, with a team of four, took on an existing project known as the Cyber Monitoring Program that supported a little more than 30 organizations. That effort was sustained solely through State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) grants until SC CIC officially launched in February 2020 with state funding. By the end of 2020, SC CIC gained significant momentum, driven by increased cyber incidents and emerging threats affecting critical infrastructure sectors such as utilities, healthcare, and transportation. The program expanded its partnerships, working closely with local governments, federal agencies, and industry stakeholders. During this period, SC CIC introduced specialized training workshops and incident response support, fostering a culture of preparedness. 

The SC CIC team consisted of six people at launch: a director, a program coordinator, a cyber protection advisor, a threat intelligence analyst, and two security analysts. In 2024, the team totals just seven, having added one additional analyst in the prior 4 years, but growing from the initial 30 to over 270 SC CIC participants. In 2024, state funding was secured that will allow SC CIC to expand in a more commensurate response to the growth and demonstrable cybersecurity needs in the state. This expansion will allow the team to refine its services, reach an even wider audience, and spend more time with each individual organization. SC CIC continues to evolve, leveraging partnerships and innovative solutions to address fluctuating cybersecurity challenges.