IBM Canada, U of Ottawa to establish cyber range to train for cybersecurity threats

IBM Canada, University of Ottawa to establish state-of-the-art Cyber Range to train for cybersecurity threats.

IBM and the University of Ottawa announced a multi-year partnership to build and operate a Cyber Range: a fully immersive, interactive, and experiential learning facility that will enable research and training in cybersecurity and cyber safety. As part of the agreement, IBM is also making a more than $21 million in-kind contribution to the University over five years to support business development and security training, while uOttawa will invest nearly $7 million over the same period.

Located within the uOttawa Cyber Hub, the Cyber Range will deliver critical security innovation, training, and expertise in both official languages to help grow Canada’s skilled cybersecurity workforce across government, industry and academia. Working collaboratively with the global IBM Security Cyber Range Team in planning, designing and commitment to content delivery, the Cyber Range will allow users to run a suite of cyberattack and cyber threat simulations using technology and software tools, replicating real-life cyber event scenarios.

The Cyber Range will train participants on how to properly plan, respond, manage, contain, and remediate a cyber incident, ultimately helping them gain an understanding of the skills and preparation necessary to anticipate and defend against current and future threats.

“The establishment of a world-class Cyber Range at the University of Ottawa provides access to IBM technology and expertise to build greater understanding of security best practices and tactics, the importance of developing cyber preparedness, and the leadership skills required to effectively respond to and manage a major security issue,”said Steven Astorino, Vice President of Data & AI Development, and Canada Lab Director, in a company statement.

“IBM Canada’s expanding partnership with uOttawa will create immense opportunities for interdisciplinary activities, as well as industry and public sector cybersecurity training — all while upskilling today’s students to better protect Canadians against cyberthreats.”

Using IBM Security technology, the Cyber Range will consist of an interactive simulation room, observation rooms and a control room for monitoring simulations in the range.

IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report 2021 found the average cost of a data breach in Canada was $6.75 million. Canadian companies surveyed reported a mean time of 164 days to identify they had a breach and 60 days to contain it. Find the full report here.