In a rapidly developing world of technology and cybercrime, western Canada’s data is set to get a whole lot safer.
The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) has officially opened its new cyber range, said to be a high-impact, immersive cybersecurity training facility located at SAIT Downtown, according to a SAIT-issued press release.
“The cyber range is going to afford us opportunities to develop what we think are the graduate talents necessary in a rapidly emerging and evolving field,” Dr. David Ross, President and CEO of SAIT, said.
“This system is adaptable, It’ll grow with the challenge, and it’s state of the art.”
The facility includes defender and attacker rooms, a central command centre and more than 50 customizable simulations challenging users to think critically and act decisively in high-pressure environments.
Faiqa Kaleem, Information Systems Security student at SAIT, said the facility is a game changer due to the range’s simulations.
“It lets us practice the real world scenarios and deal with the different strategies, how similar live attacks that we would experience in the industry, and if we are studying and practicing in this kind of environment, it would allow us to have the experience to work under pressure and communicate with the team in case of a real incident,” she said.
According to the release, cybersecurity is an every-changing industry seeing risks and demand like never before. The Calgary Police Service reported a 54 per cent increase in cybercrime in 2024 compared to the previous year. Province-wide, Statistics Canada recorded more than 12,000 cybercrimes in 2023, a 24 per cent increase from 2022, according to the release.
Ross said that SAIT is a thought leader in this post-secondary cybercrimes space. He said that companies across western Canada have booked the range’s analytical security capabilities.
“We’re already booked for the first while, we haven’t even done any advertising,” he said.
“This is leading edge and we’re going to attract talent on a more global stage as well to come and take advantage of what this offers.”
Canadian businesses spent $1.2 billion recovering from cyber incidents in 2023, double the cost from the year prior, according to the SAIT release.
The launch of the cyber range marks a significant milestone for SAIT Downtown and the School for Advanced Digital Technology.
“A $30-million gift from Calgary business leader and philanthropist David Bissett in 2019 enabled SAIT to prepare students for the digital demands of tomorrow’s workforce, making both the school and the cyber range possible,” the release reads.
The cyber range will create a different level of exposure from students, upgrading from the theory, practice, paper simulations the program previously utilized, according to Ross.
“The room you’re in (cyber range) is completely isolated from the outside world, there is no internet connection, so we get to control the simulation, we get to control their experience, we get to allow them, in real time, to develop decision making in a problem solving capacity.”
