National, July 2022: To develop Cyber Professionals, who are job-ready and skilled to the highest standards on in-demand areas of cybersecurity, Webel-Fujisoft-Vara Centre of Excellence (CoE), an initiative of Govt. of West Bengal will soon launch affordable online courses in Cybersecurity. Provided in collaboration with Think Cyber, Israel, the training will be delivered online using video-based learning. Students will have access to Cyberium, a sophisticated simulator that provides labs and scenarios that are powered by a live advanced cyber-monitoring system, SPECTO, both of which are proprietary systems developed by Think Cyber Israel. The training will be 90% hands-on with labs, projects and scenarios. Live faculty support from the CoE is built into the programme at regular intervals. Students and professionals will be able to avail these courses from August 2022.
“We have worked hard to make these online cyber-security courses affordable. The courses are designed to make learners job-ready and will help to address the gap for lack of skilled cybersecurity professionals in our country. Our collaboration with Think Cyber, Israel, will be a double benefit for learners as they will have access to world-class cyber-security programmes that trains them on skills that will support them in finding lucrative jobs”, said Dr. Rashmi Sharma, Head, Webel Fujisoft Vara Centre of Excellence: Industry 4.0
India is one of the most targeted countries in the world in terms of cyber-attacks. There were over 18 million cyber-attacks and threats in India in the first three months of 2022, according to Cyber security firm Norton, on average 2,00,000 threats every day. In the present scenario, with the exponential growth in online services and online transactions in India, and the sheer enormity of cyberspace that needs to be monitored and protected, the need for Cyber-Security professionals has never been greater. Nor the gap between demand and supply so wide.
David Shiffman, CEO, Think Cyber Israel said “We are pleased to bring to India the same technologies that we use for training cyber-security professionals in several countries around the world. We believe that those looking to build a career in Cybersecurity in India, will find that our courses, offered by the Webel Fujisoft Vara Centre of Excellence, provide the perfect launch-pad to build the skills that will set them apart as highly trained professionals in Cybersecurity”
SPECTO is a sophisticated live cyber-monitoring system developed by Think Cyber Israel, which can monitor and analyze methods used by hackers in real time, thanks to its proprietary technology. SPECTO plays a central role in training the new generation of cyber- professionals due to its ability to generate scenarios (based on real-time cyber-attacks) for Cyberium, an advanced simulator (also developed by Think Cyber Israel). SPECTO-powered scenarios on the Cyberium simulator are a game-changer for students because they have access to and can learn about the most recent strategies being used by hackers.
The programmes at the CoE will start with very rigorously designed foundation courses, after which learners will move into learning their chosen specialization, which includes SOC Analyst, Penetration Testing and Digital Forensics. Each specialization teaches the skills that organizations require today, making learners truly industry- ready on their graduation. The labs and project work ensure experiential learning. The Online Courses which will be offered include Security Operations Centre (SOC) Analyst Certificate, Certificate in Penetration Testing and Certificate in Digital Forensics. Different levels of courses are available. There are courses that are designed to build skills for entry level roles, which take learners from the basics to a high level of proficiency. For those already working in the field of cybersecurity, advanced and expert level courses in each of these specializations are available.
Webel Fujisoft Vara Centre of Excellence: Industry 4.0 (CoE) has been set up by the Department of IT& Electronics, Govt of West Bengal through its nodal agency Webel, as well as the MSME Directorate, West Bengal. The project is being executed by Fujisoft Inc., Japan and Vara Technology, India. It is one of the only Centres of Excellence for four technologies of Industry 4.0, namely Data Science, Cybersecurity, Embedded Systems/ IoT, and Additive Manufacturing. The CoE brings together students, academia, industry, technology providers, and start-ups under one roof.
The CoE is equipped with state of-the art infrastructure, technologies, hardware, software and systems integration that make it a best-in-class facility. Its IT infrastructure has high-speed processing capabilities to run complex analytics in its Data Science Labs. The 3D Manufacturing Center is equipped with the latest machinery from Stratasys- one of the world’s No 1 manufacturers of 3D machines. The Cyber-Security Lab uses sophisticated simulators to provide experiential training. The embedded systems/ IoT lab is equipped with all the equipment required to provide hands-on learning.
