Alfred State celebrated the opening of a new Cyber Lab made possible through partnerships with Fortinet and cb20. Faculty, students, industry and community partners, and local politicians came to celebrate and tour the new learning lab.
The cyber lab serves as a cyber range for Alfred State students. It is a secure environment where cyber attacks can be simulated to allow students to identify, mitigate, and eliminate threats. It also allows students to engage in ethical hacking exercises to ensure they have hands-on learning opportunities in the field.
Cyber Lab Ribbon Cutting event video
Cyber Lab Ribbon Cutting photo gallery
The equipment in the lab will help prepare students to compete using their learned skills on the national stage. CIT students compete in the National Cyber League and a pair of students finished in the top two percent of over 7,816 competitors while Alfred State is ranked sixteenth in the Cyber Power Rankings.
This lab represents far more than a physical space,” commented Alfred State President Steven Mauro. “It reflects our shared commitment to preparing students for meaningful careers in a rapidly evolving digital world, strengthening regional workforce development, advancing applied technology education in the Southern Tier, and doing good in this world.”
“Today's ribbon cutting represents a strategic investment in people, partnerships, and preparedness” added Mike Bracken, Fortinet Regional Director of Sales. “It's really a state statement about the role that Alfred State is going to play going forward, not just in the SUNY community but the workforce going forward. Cyber security is no longer a niche discipline or an isolated IT concern. It is now a foundational requirement for economic stability, public safety, healthcare delivery, energy infrastructure, education and government operations.”
Bracken continued, “The cyber security skills gap is real and documented. Globally millions of cyber security roles go unfilled each year, and the US employers consistently report that while graduates may understand theory many lack real world experience and that's exactly where the cyber lab will come into play. The Alfred State cyber lab helps address those challenges it should hopefully be added to the many reasons students or prospective students want to come to Alfred State in the future.”
After the ribbon cutting, Fortinet hosted a pizza party and spoke to current Alfred State students. Over fifty students attended and heard from Jenna Tombolesi, Fortinet Regional Director, Systems Engineering. She spoke on the cyber journey and gave tips to students as they prepare to enter the workforce.
Forty-six students are currently enrolled in the Cyber Security Bachelor of Technology program. The program prepares students to protect networks and systems while mastering mobile, cloud, host, and secure programming skills. Students also complete a full semester internship with 61 percent getting hired at their internship site following graduation and are prepared for industry certifications that position them well for employment following graduation with a job placement or continuing education rate of 98 percent.
“As I have watched this project unfold over the past few years, I was always reminded of the impact this lab would have on our Cyber Security program and our students’ education,” commented Vice President for Student Affairs Carrie Cokely.
New York State Senators George Borello and Tom O’Mara along with New York Assemblymember Joseph Sempolinski joined the celebration and shared their excitement for the new opportunities and learning experiences the facility not only brings to the students but to the whole community.
County Legislator Brooke Harris, educational partners from Jefferson Community College, colleagues from Alfred University, and members of the Alfred State College Council and Development Fund Boards were also in attendance.
Evan Enke, Assistant Professor and Chair of the Computer & Information Technology Department emceed the event and commented. “The best part of my job, besides teaching our students, is partnering with incredible people to make great things happen. We are thankful for Fortinet and cb20 for their willingness to help us create this lab.”