The staff of Metro Data, Inc. were excited to attend of launch of the Baltimore Cyber Range, and are proud to be members of their cybersec consortium.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan today joined Stephen Thomas, general manager of Cyberbit North America; Bruce Spector, CEO of Baltimore-based Electronic Technology Associates (ETA); Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh; and other dignitaries for the grand opening celebration of the Baltimore Cyber Range.

The creation of the center was announced during the Governor’s trade mission to Israel in September 2016.

The Baltimore Cyber Range, which is located in Spark Baltimore in Baltimore City, will provide cybersecurity professionals with the most advanced cyber warfare strategies in an environment that simulates real threats.

The center is funded with a $250,000 state EARN grant that allowed Baltimore-based defense technology firm Electronic Technology Associates to put together a consortium of nine private contractors and two agencies, the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development and Baltimore City Community College. The consortium will send employees for training. The state-funded EARN initiative offers workforce development grants.

All Photo Credits: Executive Office of the Governor. Photographer: Joe Andrucyk
 

About the Baltimore Cyber Range:

The Baltimore Cyber Range runs off of a private network with the ability to simulate any classified, commercial, academic, or most sophisticated agency networks thus, it enables operators to simulate real world cyber-attacks and defend scenarios on their own customized enterprise network platform and empowers trainees to use the latest protection tools and processes in realistic scenarios.

Baltimore Cyber Range has partnered with Electronic Technologies Associates of Baltimore, Maryland, the Baltimore City Community College and the Intrusion Countermeasures Education - Training (ICE-T) consortium to provide Maryland residents with IT and cyber training. The State-of-Maryland sponsored program provides Maryland residents initial IT training for entry level positions and training updates for journeymen / expert cyber practitioners. The goal of the program is to expand and enhance the Maryland Cyber workforce by providing entry level workers the skills and knowledge required to obtain an entry level IT / Cyber position and improving the skill / knowledge base of existing practitioners.

 The ICE-T consortium has been tasked with developing a number of basic IT and networking training modules in support of this effort. In addition Baltimore Cyber Range will provide 'Expert' level training utilizing Range resources. Most of the eight training modules associated with this effort last one week with topics including computer / network basics, network management, network security and SOC operations and attack analysis. All training will be conducted in BCCC facilities or at the Baltimore Cyber Range. The first class of students begins training in the summer of 2017.  For more information, please visit: http://baltimorecyberrange.com/

Maryland Gov't Official Press Statement
https://governor.maryland.gov/2017/08/03/governor-larry-hogan-joins-eta-and-cyberbit-to-open-baltimore-cyber-range/

Governor Larry Hogan Joins ETA and Cyberbit to Open Baltimore Cyber Range
August 3, 2017  
Will Provide Advanced Cybersecurity Training to Industry Professionals

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today joined Stephen Thomas, general manager of Cyberbit North America; Bruce Spector, CEO of Baltimore-based Electronic Technology Associates (ETA); Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh; and other dignitaries for the grand opening celebration of the Baltimore Cyber Range. The creation of the center was announced during the governor’s trade mission to Israel in September 2016. The Baltimore Cyber Range, which is located in Spark Baltimore in Baltimore City, will provide cybersecurity professionals with the most advanced cyber warfare strategies in an environment that simulates real threats.

“I am very pleased to celebrate the opening of the Baltimore Cyber Range,” said Governor Hogan. “As the first stand-alone and hands-on training cybersecurity training center in the nation, it will provide the most-up-to date training for our cyber force, further demonstrating that Maryland is truly the cyber capital of America.”

​”The Baltimore Cyber Range represents another example of effective ​state, ​city and ​industry cooperation that will train and expand the Maryland cyber workforce exponentially​,” said Mayor Pugh.​ ​”​I look forward to the growth of this initiative and the real opportunities it will create for our residents.​”

“Governor Hogan’s trade mission to Israel was designed to bring to Maryland the technology-rich capability the Israelis have developed in cybersecurity,” said Bruce Spector of ETA. “The Baltimore Cyber Range has done just that, bringing together their team, along with the capabilities of Cyberbit, to create a revolutionary way to train cybersecurity workers.”

The Baltimore Cyber Range is powered by Cyberbit’s Range Platform, a cybersecurity simulation and training environment that enables security teams to train in realistic settings. This hands-on experience expands cyber professionals’ knowledge base and enhances their skills to keep pace with evolving cyber threats. In addition, the training offered through the Baltimore Cyber Range promotes team building and enables cyber teams to respond more quickly and more effectively to complex and advanced attacks.

“Working with Cyberbit and Governor Hogan’s administration to bring this new cyber training technology to Maryland has been an unbelievable opportunity,” said Michael Doyle, president of Baltimore Cyber Range. “The range has demonstrated the potential to dramatically improve the skills and experience of those working to protect our national IT infrastructure. It also represents a key element of our ongoing efforts to provide the Maryland workforce the skills and knowledge required to address the skilled cybersecurity workforce shortage.”

“We congratulate the Baltimore Cyber Range and the state of Maryland for opening the new training and simulation facility today,” said Adi Dar, CEO of Cyberbit. “We see a rapidly-growing need for hands-on cybersecurity training in private and public-sector organizations worldwide, and are excited to see the Baltimore Range pioneering this activity in Maryland.”

Since 2015, the Hogan administration has taken major strides to cultivate and strengthen Maryland’s impressive cyber industry. In the Fiscal Year 2018 budget, the administration added $4 million for cybersecurity training in the EARN Maryland initiative. In addition to the 2016 Israel economic development trade mission, Governor Hogan in June of this year led a delegation of Maryland businesses and officials on a trade mission to London, where he addressed cyber industry leaders at the Houses of Parliament and announced the launch of iCyberCenter@bwtech, an international cybersecurity center at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Last month, Governor Hogan joined 37 governors across the country in joining a multi-state cyber compact to better secure states’ cyber infrastructure, and announced the opening of ELTA North America’s Cyber Innovation Center.