Full Sail Stories

Full Sail University is proud to announce the opening of the Full Sail University IBM Cyber Defense Range powered by AWS and Cloud Range, a new campus facility that enables Full Sail’s emerging technologies students to get hands-on experience with the tools and techniques used by professionals in the cybersecurity industry.

In the Cyber Defense Range, students in the Cybersecurity Bachelor of Science Completion Program and the Information Technology bachelor’s program will experience a simulated cyber environment to safely practice defending networks, responding to cyber incidents, and testing security tools without risk to live systems. They can participate in dynamic attack-and-defense exercises, conduct incident response practices, and more.

The Cyber Defense Range features:

• More than 1,463 square feet of space
• 107.8 square feet of Absen 136-inch screens
• 28 stations outfitted with 27-inch HP monitors, HP Elite desktops, and Thunderbolt Hubs for laptop connections
• Simulated enterprise and cloud-based network environments
• Team-based exercises and attack-defense scenarios
• Malware analysis and threat hunting
• Incident response and digital forensics simulations

“Our facility has been carefully curated in collaboration with our partners at IBM to enhance the depth of knowledge our students acquire while at Full Sail,” says Dr. Haifa Maamar, Full Sail’s Executive Director of Emerging Technologies. “The Full Sail University IBM Cyber Defense Range Powered by AWS and Cloud Range strategically connects academic instruction with real-world, industry-driven applications, developing the technical expertise, critical thinking, and collaborative capabilities required in today’s complex security environment. It represents a significant milestone for our emerging technologies programs and directly supports workforce readiness by creating clear pathways for our graduates to enter and succeed in the cybersecurity industry.”