InfoWatch Group, a Russian vendor of end-to-end enterprise cybersecurity solutions, and Saint Petersburg National Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics (ITMO University) have announced a new joint university-based training center opened as part of strategic cooperation between InfoWatch Group and the university in fostering highly qualified cybersecurity specialists for Russian enterprises.
ITMO-InfoWatch center represents technical and technology facilities for cybersecurity training and research activities, established mainly to enable students to obtain first-hand experience in addressing real-life enterprise incidents. Training will be delivered in the computer center equipped with a full range of InfoWatch software products and offering an opportunity to operate in various IT environments, including Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) systems.
It should also be noted that InfoWatch cooperates with the ITMO University as a curator of its master’s degree program on security of cyberphysical systems, with its graduates boasting fundamental theoretical knowledge of security system development for sophisticated cyberphysical systems, authentication protocols, as well as secure data processing and transmission for distributed data storage and processing systems. The new training center will give students more opportunities for gaining hands-on cybersecurity experience.
Moreover, ITMO University is planning to offer the new training center facilities to already employed cybersecurity specialists of the North-Western Region of Russia who want to upgrade their skills.
“We are focused on the continuous fostering of skilled engineers in Russia and the promoting of cybersecurity and related professions. Cybersecurity specialists have never been in more demand than today, and the developing digital economy will only drive up this trend. In the new training center, InfoWatch specialists will share their rich knowledge and teach the ITMO University students how to combat real-life malicious actions by company employees or external offenders. Thanks to the synergy of theory offered by the university and most recent real-life cases from InfoWatch specialists, graduates will be young professionals with valuable hands-on experience,” said Natalya Kaspersky, President of InfoWatch Group.
“Students will be able to master the very tools used by InfoWatch specialists and customers, thus acquiring cutting-edge knowledge of cyber threat analysis. The new center will also become the university’s additional cybersecurity research facilities for students to improve their research skills there; indeed, the rapidly evolving information security market now requires a more science-based approach. In addition, as part of our further cooperation, students will be able to do research and development work for InfoWatch and take part in our joint projects,” said Danil Zakoldaev, Head of the Faculty of Information Security and Computer Technologies.
