U Maryland Goes Global With Net Security Lab in Japan

• By Paul McCloskey
• 07/12/07

University of Maryland's University College is working with Cisco Systems to open up a string of university-based network security labs around the planet.

UMUC debuted its latest lab, the Network Systems and Security Laboratory, at its Asia campus in Yokota, Japan. The lab was funded with an in kind grant of lab equipment and faculty training from Cisco's critical infrastructure assurance group. The grant also enabled UMUC to open a network systems lab in Heidelberg, Germany and to enhance its existing laboratory at its main campus in Adelphi, MD late last year.
 
The labs, which are expected to be used by more than 27,000 students and military,  are designed to help students apply theory by setting up scenarios of myriad realistic situations in protecting information resources.  UMUC has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education by the National Security Agency and the United States Department of Homeland Security.

UMUC president Susan Aldridge said the new lab in Asia would improve both face to face and online courses in information assurance, emergency management, and homeland security. "This is the first truly global reach by any university to offer real-life simulations and training in the critical field of computer security and information assurance," she said.

Don Goff, executive director of UMUC's Security Studies Lab, characterized the demand for qualified security professionals as dire.  

"The modern workforce is in desperate need for men and women who are trained to manage 21st century security needs," he said. "It's essential that our programs and the technology that supports them stays on the cutting-edge to address today's security issues worldwide."

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