Posted on May 18, 2020 by Wendy Frost
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) College of Business has partnered with SimSpace Corporation to provide a cloud-based cyber range for the college’s cyber security program.
SimSpace’s $133,000 software donation includes access to 700 licensed accounts, network tailoring and configuration support.
“Building on what we offer in our physical cyber security labs, we decided it was time to raise the bar,” said Nicole Beebe, chair of the Department of Information Systems and Cyber Security. “SimSpace’s donation allows our students to have access to a premier cyber training range.”
The College of Business has been working with Simspace on a pilot for the past year. Simspace provides a training ground for cyber security students to learn about cyber attacks and practice their skills in a realistic environment. This virtual environment enables them to not only test their cyber defenses but to prove their processes against the intensity and uncertainty of aggressive cyber adversaries.
“From the DoD to Wall Street, SimSpace Corporation’s cyber range offers high-fidelity, simulated environments for hands-on training of cyber defense concepts and principles,” said William Hutchison, CEO and co-founder of SimSpace. “SimSpace has partnered with UTSA’s nationally-ranked cyber program in order to push the frontiers of cyber defense research and training.”
“COVID-19 really allowed us to test the flexibility and utility of the SimSpace product as more students and classes used the environment for various lab exercises,” said Rob Kaufman, who helped facilitate the donation and serves as a lecturer in the college’s Department of Information Systems and Cyber Security. “The range will be used even more in the coming semester as more classes are moved to an online format. Many students have commented positively on SimSpace’s versatility, realistic feel and ease of use.”
With more than 1,400 students, the UTSA Department of Information Systems and Cyber Security offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs in cyber security and information systems. UTSA’s cyber security program was ranked No. 1 in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.
— Wendy Frost
