UNLV Cyber Clinic outlines free services for small businesses and workforce pipeline efforts

UNLV faculty and administrators presented the university’s Cyber Clinic to the Clark County Commission on June 17, describing a student‑managed, faculty‑directed program that provides no‑cost cybersecurity assessments for small businesses while training students for the workforce.

Yewon Kim, director of the UNLV Cyber Clinic and a university computer‑science professor, and program administrator Cheryl Bella said the clinic was created to give students real‑world experience and to help small businesses that lack funds for commercial cybersecurity consulting. Bella said the clinic has more than 120 members and works with UNLV, CSN and CCSD high‑school students as junior members.

Clinic staff described activities that include hands‑on assessments, remediation guidance and K‑12 outreach such as a free summer genCyber camp and school visits. The clinic partners with UNLV’s Small Business Development Center to reach clients and reported that students performed more than 50 recent assessments, representing hundreds of student‑hours of pro bono work. Bella said many students who participate go on to internships or employment in the field.

Speakers asked the county to consider partnership opportunities such as referrals of small businesses during licensing transactions, hosting outreach at county senior centers, and modest financial support for student stipends and transportation costs tied to clinic outreach.

Why it matters: small businesses face growing cybersecurity risk and limited budgets. The clinic offers free, hands‑on assistance for local businesses while building an academic‑to‑workforce pipeline for cybersecurity professionals.

Speakers in this article are in the speakers list below and quotes are taken from the meeting transcript.