Students fight cyber crime in new college lab
UNIT COMES AS PART OF A WIDER £3.5M BSDC UPGRADE
BURTON and South Derbyshire College is launching a new cyber security lab – thanks to £3.5 million of funding.
Equipped with computers, robots, 3D printers and other specialised equipment, the lab will help students develop the skills and knowledge they will need to protect and secure organisational networks.
The lab will host separate servers, including four small individual servers, and learners can take part in penetration tests and virtual hacking, conducted within a legal and ethical framework, to give them the cyber security skills to protect companies against malicious cyber-attacks in the future.
It comes part of a series of upgraded and revitalised facilities that are being delivered through the £3.5 million grant through the Stronger Towns Fund.
Ryan Halford, deputy principal at BSDC, said: “The Stronger Towns investment has been an exciting journey for the college, allowing us to introduce a raft of future orientated, multiuse technology at the heart of the evolving landscape of how students learn.
“We’re proud to be leading the way in these areas, providing students with the skills needed for successful employment in related sectors.”
Burton and South Derbyshire College’s computing department has a strong track record of success, with students having secured gold and bronze medals in the prestigious Worldskills competitions over the last few years.
The college is also a member of the Ec-council (International Council of E-commerce Consultants), which offers access to a wide array of industry-specialist resources.
Meanwhile, the mechatronics lab will support manufacturing productivity through the provision of mechatronics and robotics skills.
The lab space is home to a smallscale CMS assembly line and robotics, equipped with the latest industry 4.0 kit.
It has been developed in consultation with Mechatronics International, Mitsubishi and BPX, who together have designed the hardware and support to ensure that this working space is a realistic environment.