RangeForce Revamps Cybersecurity Training Platform
RangeForce today updated its simulation platform for training cybersecurity professionals to make it easier to orchestrate and personalize modules for larger teams with a diverse range of skill sets.
Bill Munroe, vice president of marketing for RangeForce, said version 2.0 of the RangeForce Cyberskills Platform will make it easier to teach cybersecurity professionals how to maximize investments in cybersecurity tools using simulations based on real-life attacks that the company has incorporated into the curriculum.
The issue most cybersecurity teams struggle with is they employ only a small percentage of the capabilities that are made available in tools from vendors such as Recorded Future, Tanium and Splunk, said Munroe. The RangeForce Cyberskills Platform enables organizations to maximize investments in those tools by simulating attacks that require more in-depth knowledge of tools and applications to thwart.
RangeForce leverages a revamped virtual architecture to take cybersecurity training well beyond certification classes and table-top simulations exercises, he added. Training is designed around the specific role an individual has within the organization, such as administrator or developer.
A revamped dashboard with customized reporting and leaderboards helps make it easier to track employee progress against assigned courses, identify talents and other things based on individual skills and objectives, said Munroe, adding the end result is a continuous approach to cybersecurity training that keeps cybersecurity and IT professionals engaged.
While there’s a lot of focus these days on the number of cybersecurity job openings not being filled, Munroe noted there is no shortage of applicants for those positions. Many organizations are simply not finding enough individuals with the cybersecurity skills needed to be hired. Attaining a cybersecurity certification is not generally indicative of actual competence, said Munroe.
As such, organizations need a way to quickly supplement whatever cybersecurity training a new hire may have by exposing them to simulated cyberattacks based on real-life incidents, he noted. In effect, organizations need to take more responsibility and control over cybersecurity talent management, Munroe said.
At the same time, Munroe noted organizations also need to get the most out of the cybersecurity expertise they have on hand. Most organizations are only realizing 25% or less of the capabilities of the cybersecurity tools they have already have in place. RangeForce works closely with the providers of those tools to surface more of those capabilities, he said.
In many cases, Munroe noted that additional training will enable organizations to rationalize their cybersecurity tools as they become more proficient. All too often, the capabilities of one tool are embedded as a feature within another that cybersecurity teams have not discovered or mastered. At a time when organizations of all sizes are more sensitive to costs, the ability to rationalize tools would in theory more than pay for investments in training, he added.
Cybersecurity training in most organizations is both undervalued and underappreciated. Too many organizations simply throw bodies at cybersecurity issues that are complex and often highly nuanced. It should come as no surprise, then, why despite massive ongoing investments in cybersecurity tools, many of those same organizations continue to fight a losing cybersecurity battle.
