Elbit Systems of America and Metropolitan State University Cooperate 

Elbit Systems of America  (ESA) announced that it will partner with Metropolitan State University to establish a new facility powered by the Cyberbit range for the training and simulation of cybersecurity professionals at the Metropolitan State campus in Saint Paul, MN/USA.

ESA will provide the hardware, software, and technical expertise to operate the training and simulation environment. In turn, Metropolitan State will provide the facilities and expert instructors. The training programme and cyber range is expected to commence training in the spring of 2018.

With reports of cyber-attacks on the rise and the demand for highly-qualified cybersecurity professionals greater than ever, both parties are addressing the challenges of accelerating the certification of new cybersecurity experts.

“We’re pleased to partner with Metropolitan State to bring advanced training and simulation capabilities into the university’s respected cyber lab,” Raanan Horowitz, President and CEO of ESA, commented. “Trainees will benefit from unique and realistic simulation to support their certification and, ultimately, allow them to focus on keeping America’s infrastructures and businesses safe when they enter the workforce.”

“I am very pleased to launch the partnership with ESA. This agreement brings a cutting edge cybersecurity simulation-based training center to Metropolitan State University and to the State of Minnesota,” Virginia Arthur, President of Metropolitan State University, continued. “The new cyber range training facility, with its advanced cybersecurity curriculum, combined with Metropolitan State’s business, education and government partnerships will effectively help to ensure that many more Minnesotans are fully prepared to meet the demands of 21st century jobs. We are proud that through our work with ESA, we will position the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities and the state of Minnesota to become a national centre of excellence in cybersecurity education and practice.”

The training and simulation centre will be powered by the Cyberbit Range, a solution developed by Cyberbit, an Elbit Systems’ subsidiary.

Cyberbit Range provides an up-to-date selection of simulated attack and ransomware scenarios. Trainees operate in real-life settings by accurately replicating their network setup, using their actual security tools and simulating their typical network traffic. The Cyberbit Range also includes a virtual and physical ICS/SCADA network training and cross-functional executive training.