A world-first cyber crime fighting training centre opened in Bristol aiming to help businesses government agencies and even police forces keep ahead of this growing threat.
The centre, run by Protection Group International, was opened by Organised Crime Minister Karen Bradley, who said it was a “major step forward” in the ongoing fight against cyber crime. She said: “To stay one step ahead of the cyber criminals, we need to ensure enough people in all sectors of the economy have the right skills to understand and take action against the threat they pose.
“PGI’s innovative training facility is an excellent example of how British know-how and capability can help governments and businesses around the world protect themselves in cyberspace.” The £5-million centre in Aztec West is the first of its kind and already employs 50 people recruited from specialist fields.
Customers range from large corporate firms to public sector organisations such as councils and police forces and foreign governments.
The 4,000 square meter facilities includes three classrooms and a dedicated network, giving people the chance to work in a so-called sandbox – a safe environment where they can play around without fear of damaging their own network. Barry said training courses for IT and cyber security professionals are “very technical”. But there are also courses for chief executives and board members, with facilities to host board meetings on site at the same time.
