University Of Alabama Opens Cybersecurity Laboratory, What Are The Facilities?

The University of Alabama at Huntsville invites visitors to see its new cybersecurity laboratory. (photo: al.com)

JAKARTA - As business, finance, utilities, national security, and many other sectors of the economy and government expand their online operations, security is becoming increasingly important. In the business arena alone, where experts believe that hundreds of recent ransomware attacks have occurred, businesses and governments are making cybersecurity instruction a growing priority for colleges and universities.

The University of Alabama at Huntsville is inviting visitors to see its new cybersecurity lab on Friday at the end of its first week of classes. The lab is in the College of Business, and Dean Jayson Greene calls it a “state of the art facility.”

“This laboratory will offer our students access to the latest cloud-based cyber technologies, as well as a state-of-the-art learning environment that encourages collaboration and a team approach to problem solving,” said Greene.

DJ Hovermale, a cybersecurity expert with federal defense expertise and a lecturer at UAH, said the goal of the university's cyber program is a "deep understanding" of threats, responses and technologies on the ground.

If the classroom to do so is "designed right," says Associate Professor of Information Systems Jay Park, "students can enjoy fun and effective learning." The new lab is implementing that idea with modern technology and large desks where students sit and collaborate in class like "computer forensics."

“The need for computer and systems professionals is growing exponentially,” Professor Wai Yin Mok told al.com. Mok said the university had been teaching cybersecurity for "quite a long time," but the new lab was "unique to the community and the state."

The school's cybersecurity program focuses on virtual teaching and research as well as collaborative teaching. These include forensic workstations, imagers, and other tools to provide students with a “unique hands-on experience detecting, investigating and analyzing cyber breaches,” the university said.