MIEM, WorldSkills Russia, and Industrial Partners Hold International Corporate Security Training Modules and Competition
From June 22 to July 9, 2020, the 2020 International BRICS Future Skills Camp Championship, which allows students to both expand and test their skills in enterprise information systems security, took place. The event was jointly organized by WorldSkills Russia (WSR), the HSE Tikhonov Moscow Institute of Electronics and Mathematics (MIEM HSE), and Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU). Students from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and the Republic of South Africa participated in the competition.
Participants demonstrated their skills in using high-tech corporate information protection systems (DLP, VPN, IDS) and ensuring the security of modern digital infrastructures.
The international training modules, which were organized under Russia’s chairmanship of BRICS, underscore the importance of gaining new skills and promote cooperation between BRICS member countries in the field of vocational education. This year’s event also furthered the development of new formats of collaboration under external constraints. Such events, of course, contribute to the export of Russian expertise and solutions in the field of information protection, as well as advanced educational technologies. The event was held completely remotely, with experts and participants digitally attending from all over the world.
The event consisted of 2 parts:
- Intensive training modules led by experts from the InfoTeCS Academy, InfoWatch Group, and HSE MIEM in DLP and VPN technologies. Experts from the InfoTeCS Academy examined general issues, the current state and prospects of cryptography, and the principles of the development and administration of secure networks using ViPNet Network Security products. Specialists from InfoWatch Group demonstrated how anti-data leak technology works as well as methods for identifying insiders using the DLP InfoWatch Traffic Monitor.
- The Future Skills Challenge Mini-Championship, which was conducted in accordance with WorldSkills Russia’s methodology. In a simulation of a day on the job of a security officer or administrator, evaluators assessed participants’ training level and identified strong and weak performers.
Andrei Zarubin, InfoWatch Vice President in Science and Education, greeted the Future Skills Camp participants. ‘I am very pleased to welcome the participants of the competition and thank WorldSkills for the invitation. I really hope that you will enjoy what you learn today. And I hope that you will join the field of information security—a complex but exciting area of the digital sphere. We are continually working with experts in Russia to gather and expand competitive tasks for an adequate response to market challenges, and we are constantly improving tasks to meet the high requirements of the industry. On behalf of InfoWatch Group, I am ready to assure you that we plan to support pioneers in Asia by providing [...] the necessary software, documentation and training.’
The well-coordinated joint work of vendors, WSR, and universities made the event a success. WSR organized the overall framework of the event and invited experts. FEFU, as the largest Russian university in the Far East, recruited students from BRICS countries. MIEM HSE and vendors shared their knowledge and skills in operating complex information security systems.
‘Aggregation of real-world application practices and close contact with industrial partners is the basic principle of operation for MIEM in all sectors,’ says Anton Sergeev, Chief Expert for the Future Skills Camp, MIEM HSE advisor, and certified WSR expert.
Anton Sergeev, Chief Expert for the Future Skills Camp, MIEM HSE advisor, and certified WSR expert
‘Over the years, working closely with internal corporate security experts, the industry, and vendors, we have gained considerable expertise and experience in using modern information protection solutions. And we see it as our mission for the coming years to share advanced technologies, practices, and educational solutions with both the educational institutions of Russia as well as our partner countries. We are launching similar activities through the HSE International Centre of Research and Methodology. It is great to see that the export of Russian educational technologies is becoming a priority for various government agencies - we really have something to show.’
MIEM currently offers two programmes in information security as well as a joint programme with InfoWatch, where experts from the company participate in the curriculum and share their personal experience with students. In addition, students can learn about security solutions for the Internet of Things at hands-on work stations that have been installed in a MIEM classroom. MIEM HSE’s faculty includes 3 certified WSR corporate information security experts—more than any other Russian university.
For the Future Skills event, MIEM HSE provided its specialists and educational infrastructure. The training took place in the virtual room system (Jitsi) that MIEM uses for conducting remote classes for up to 50 people.
It is important to note the participation of students from FEFU’s Master’s Programme in BRICS Countries (2019-2020) in the Skills Camp for Enterprise Information Systems Security. For them, an international competition such as this was a logical conclusion to an intensive year of study, as it allowed them to compare their skills with those from other countries.
The Enterprise Information Systems Security Competition was created in 2017 as part of the FutureSkills initiative and aims to aggregate experience, methods, and best practices in corporate security and hold competitions among information security professionals in accordance with WorldSkills standards. Representatives of 24 regions of Russia and 6 countries participate in the competition. The preparation of the contestants and the holding of the championship is carried out by a joint team of experts from MIEM HSE, FEFU, Saint Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation, InfoWatch Group, InfoTeKS Academy, and Communication College No. 54 of Moscow.
It is expected that more than 180 competitors and more than 200 experts from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa will participate in all 17 skill competitions of the 2020 Future Skills Challenge, including Enterprise Information Systems Security, Internet of Things, Drone Operation, and more.
Comprehensive support for the event was provided by InfoWatch Group and InfoTeCS Academy, which are among the world’s leading producers of information security solutions.
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