ABSTRACT
Although the methods and techniques of operations research have existed for hundreds of years, the modern use of tools in this field formalized during World War II in the 1940s. At its foundation, the discipline is concerned with the development of analytical tools and methods to make better decisions when faced with complex problems. The discipline of operations research may involve the modeling or measuring of actions, factors, or responses using mathematics, which is frequently found in the sub-discipline of decision analysis. It may also involve solving for the most desirable outcome given a constrained or unconstrained framework, as is frequently found in the sub-discipline of mathematical optimization. Finally, when processes behave in a random or uncertain manner, the sub-discipline of stochastic process modeling may be used to provide insight and greater forecasting power. Altogether, it is not surprising to find operations research is used to model, solve, and interpret complex problems in the cyber realm. This chapter will showcase a portion of the operations research foundation and present its linkage to modern cybersecurity problems.
