Cyber Range Initiative launches

THE RHODE Island Cyber Range Initiative was officially launched by Gov. Gina M. Raimondo and the R.I. Emergency Management Agency on Friday.  / PBN FILE PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY
THE RHODE Island Cyber Range Initiative was officially launched by Gov. Gina M. Raimondo and the R.I. Emergency Management Agency on Friday. / PBN FILE PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Cyber Range Initiative was officially launched by Gov. Gina M. Raimondo and the R.I. Emergency Management Agency on Friday.
The governor and RIEMA announced the effort, in partnership with Community College of Rhode Island, State Police, Rhode Island National Guard and the Southeastern New England Defense Industry Alliance.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place at the site, at the Newport campus of CCRI.
The Cyber Range will serve future cyber professionals by providing them with a hands-on, controlled testing environment and virtual platform for cybersecurity modeling and simulation as they train for jobs in the field.
“We depend on technology for nearly every part of our lives — and that makes us vulnerable to cyberattacks that could disrupt critical services and operations, in state government and in the private sector,” Raimondo said.
“My focus is taking these challenges and turning them into opportunities … training our workforce to make Rhode Island more secure and resilient against possible threats, and we’re seizing the opportunity to create new jobs in this growing field.”
Participants can recreate their network in a controlled environment and test, evaluate and validate their cyber-security capabilities and review advanced analytics of networks that may be subject to simulated cyber-attacks.
“This is a valuable asset, not only to develop a more prepared professional cybersecurity workforce, but to train and educate the entire community about how to better prepare for and respond to cyber threats,” said Peter T. Gaynor, director of RIEMA.
This training will be especially valuable for students in the college’s new cyber-security associate degree program,” said Meghan Hughes, president of the college. “CCRI is thrilled that RIEMA chose our Newport campus to locate their Cyber Range.”

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