SUNY Fulton Montgomery opens cyber range boosted by IBM, Amazon

Down in the basement of O’Connell Hall at SUNY Fulton Montgomery is the only two-year collegiate cyber range bolstered by IBM and Amazon Web Services. Similar cybersecurity labs are expected to pop across the globe in the coming months, according to IBM.

“The goal here is to provide it anywhere and everywhere we can develop the next talent in cybersecurity,” said Rob Koehler, an associate partner for security services at IBM. “A region like this is perfect for that.”

The high-dollar simulation lab, designed by IBM and powered by Amazon Web Services software, opened to the public for the first time on Thursday. By next fall, it is expected to serve up to 40 students.

Entry-level graduates who choose not to further their education at a 4-year institution will still make between $50,000 and six figures, according to lab stakeholders. In the next 10 years, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects that there will be a 32% increase in cyber-related jobs with a median salary of $120,360.

“In our area, our students are more likely between $50,000 and $60,000, which is good but for a cybersecurity major out of this lab, I think it’s going to be higher,” said Martin Waffle, chair of FMCC’s computer science department.

A number of area institutions already have cybersecurity courses, including the University at Albany, Albany Law School and SUNY Schenectady. FMCC’s cybersecurity offerings date back to 2018, Waffle reported.

Upon receiving a grant last year, college officials were interested in pouring funds into improving the campus's existing cyber facilities. Instructor Billy Eipp visited an IBM cyber range in the Boston area for inspiration.

He was impressed.

“When he came back, he said, ‘We need to get that on our campus,’” Waffle said.

Here’s how a cyber range works: in a room cladded with large panoramic monitors, participants are put through a series of training simulations in which systems varying from communication networks to payroll systems are breached. Live malware is unleashed in the process.

The lighting of the room changes based on the urgency of the situation. The ever-changing glow is intended to increase pressure when needed. It can get intense, according to Sam Samarah, a lead public partner at IBM Security.

“What if an incident does happen? How are you gonna deal with it?” Samarah said. “They tell the IT guys to stand outside, don't get involved. Don't speak.”

Cybersecurity education hubs vary in cost and size. FMCC’s new facility clocks in at nearly $1 million, including $200,000 for an adjacent IBM-designed computer lab.

Much of the funding for the new facility was tapped from the SUNY Transformation Fund. Some of the funding was footed by Montgomery County and FMCC Foundation.

Classroom tours Thursday were attended by business representatives, county stakeholders and leaders throughout the SUNY system. Founding member of the New York City Cyber Command and retired police officer Gustavo A. Rodriguez even took a look.

“It’s like a win-win, not just for the students, but for public safety officials, fire, water, EMS. You can teach them how to stop a ransomware attack,” he said.

IBM plans by 2030 to train 30 million people in cybersecurity, including high schoolers, college students and professionals already in the workforce. This is intended, in part, to fill a global shortage of 3.4 million cybersecurity professionals.

And for companies and public agencies, the stakes are high. Data breaches on average come at a cost of $4.45 million, according to a 2023 IBM report.

“What we’re doing here is we are creating the protectors of the business,” Koehler said. “We are creating investigators who look at the clues of the attack, understand it and find out how to address it.”

Images: SUNY Fulton Montgomery cyber range (8 photos)