iTech
Information Security Officer
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Allen Baxter
Allen Baxter is a cybersecurity and compliance professional currently serving as the Information Security Officer for the University of Southern Mississippi.
Prior to becoming the Information Security Officer at USM, Allen was the Assistant Director for Research Data Security and Compliance at Mississippi State University where his primary responsibilities included leading the University's efforts to comply with the Department of Defense's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). This was a multi-year, multimillion dollar effort that allowed the University to continue research activities with a variety of federal partners.
Prior to his position at MSU’s Information Technology Services, Allen was an information security officer for MSU's High Performance Computing Collaboratory (HPC2), Northrop Grumman, and Orbital ATK. Additionally, Allen has served in a variety of capacities, both stateside and abroad, with the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserves, and Army National Guard. Before making the transition to cybersecurity, Allen served as an IT Manager for a local television station, a special agent for a state-based revenue agency, and as an intern for the United States Department of State's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. Allen holds a bachelor’s and a master's degree from Mississippi State University and completed a Master of Science in Information Systems from Syracuse University. Allen is an active member of International Information System Security Certification Consortium where he has held the Certified Information Systems Security Professional Designation since 2016. He holds a variety of other IT and cybersecurity certifications and is a graduate of various military schools including the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence and the U.S Army Command and General Staff College. Allen enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife and three kids.
What does the Information Security Officer do?
- Responsible for data security across all departments and campuses
- Work with the Legal department doing forensics work to support ongoing cases
- Work with Comptroller’s office supporting third-party audits
- Verify Compliance to federal, state and local regulations
