KILLEEN, Texas (KXXV) — Central Texas College has launched a new cyber range, giving students hands-on experience in cybersecurity as demand for trained professionals continues to grow across the state and nation.
The cyber range was funded through a $20,000 Carl D. Perkins federal grant and a $50,000 investment from the college. Students built the servers themselves, which helped reduce the overall cost of creating the facility. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to celebrate the official launch.
Inside the cyber range, students track live cyber threats and work with in-house servers, practicing skills to combat hackers. Tracy Martin, department chair for computer science at Central Texas College, said the additions allow graduates to be well-rounded in the tech world.
"For the most part, it would be blue-collar, but you would be able to go out and do more of a technical work. So you'll be a technician; you can attack, you can defend, you can even do what we call white hat hacking, whereas you go into a company and you can literally see where the vulnerabilities are," Martin said.
The need for those professionals is significant. Mark Sorres, president of Fayetteville Technical Community College, helped CTC with the cyber range he spoke at the event about the scale of the challenge.
"There is a need for 42,500 cybersecurity professionals in Texas alone, and that is a number that is published at the federal level by the NSA," Sorres said.
"For generations, America's security was measured by the strength of the army, the navy, the Coast Guard, the Air Force. Today, while those institutions remain vital, we have a new era and that battlefield has expanded beyond physical borders. Every day attacks are launched against our nation through keyboards rather than missiles," Sorres said.
Central Texas College is part of the Central Texas Cyber Hub, a partnership with Baylor University and McLennan Community College that aims to lead the region in cybersecurity excellence.
As cybersecurity breaches continue to threaten local governments and businesses, students say the new technology gives them a real advantage in their education.
"It allows us to experience real-world IT work, going out into the field, understanding how to manage, configure, install, and in general, properly defend a network," student Zachary Unbehagen said.
Student Jimel Drayton said the hands-on environment sets the program apart.
"This gives you a chance to really get your hands on, learn, and actually apply it in a situation that I feel is more realistic than what you would normally get in a school environment," Drayton said.
The college is also working on a partnership to allow local high school students to earn a certificate in cyber defense through the new technology.
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