Bristol home of first cyber defence training centre

The world’s first ever facility dedicated to cyber defence training has been unveiled in Bristol.

The plan for the venue is to assist government agencies, polices, and businesses in staying one step ahead of cyber  threats.

Karen Bradley, the Organised Crime Minister, opened the centre, citing the venture as a key step in fighting the continual threat of cyber crime.

The £5m centre, run by Protection Group International, already has a workforce of 50 individuals with specialist backgrounds.

Barry Roche, the chief executive, spoke to the Bristol Post and said the site was perfect for the new facility. He commented:

“Bristol rose to the top of the shortlist very quickly because of the talent pool in the South West. Bristol has a long technology heritage as well as fantastic transport links. It is the right place.”

Courses are designed for companies ranging from large corporates to organisations in the public sector such as police forces, foreign governments, and councils.

The facility includes classrooms as well as a dedicated network, which enables people to operate in an environment and work freely without concern of causing harm to their network.

Large firms and organisations are rightly supporting the priority of this venture, but smaller organisations need to pay attention themselves to further spread the knowledge of – and ultimately combat – cyber threats. Risking system and customer data breaches is serious business, and precautions should be taken. Opening up cyber security jobs is the best and safest way to protect the operations of SMEs.