½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

Research Area: Cybersecurity  | Status:  Complete | Led By: Researcher-led

The Challenge

Traditionally in organizations, Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) have been managed by different employees with little to no overlap, and many organizations face challenges in their attempts to merge these worlds. Increasingly, these groups now must work together to ensure the security of energy grids, water systems, transportation and other critical infrastructure.

Additionally, according to the 2020 (ISC)² Cybersecurity Workforce Study, there is a massive gap in cybersecurity skills in the Canadian workforce. Most organizations lack the skillset to defend critical assets effectively—and in today’s increasingly digital world, cybersecurity has never been more important.

The Solution

½ûÂþÌìÌà is helping bring together the worlds of IT and OT while helping students and New Brunswick organizations build their capacity in cybersecurity. A prime example of ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ’s impact is its new Critical Infrastructure Security Operations Centre (CI-SOC) at the Saint John campus. This research and training lab allows ½ûÂþÌìÌà students, regional K-12 students and industry partners to test and troubleshoot real-world scenarios in a fully simulated environment and see first-hand why IT and OT must work together.

About the Collaboration

The CI-SOC is the first training lab of its kind in New Brunswick – part of a growing cluster of cybersecurity expertise and capacity that has established our province as a regional and national leader. Students and industry partners can use the centre to run simulations of real-world problems and interact with the control systems running various facilities dealing with critical infrastructure, such as factories, utilities, and supply chain companies. By practicing cyberattack detection and remediation, learners will gain a greater appreciation and awareness of the critical infrastructure and the skills needed to protect it.

Project Partners/Funders