ECSO just announced the publication of the updated 2024 Edition of its “Cyber Range Features Checklist & List of European Providers”. This will serve as a valuable resource for end-users to articulate their specific cyber range requirements, establishing clear award criteria for electronic tenders during the procurement process. The checklist is produced by ECSO’s WG5 on “Skills & Human Factors” under its cyber range workstream which aims to promote and support best practices and develop guidelines that define cyber ranges and facilitate the uptake of cyber ranges and cyber range-enabled services.
Amidst the growing demand for resilient cybersecurity solutions, the European Cyber Security Organisation (ECSO) takes a significant step by introducing the most recent version of the “Cyber Range Features Checklist & List of European Providers.” This latest release stands as a strategic response to a challenge in the procurement process, with the primary goal of elevating the quality of end solutions and enhancing overall customer satisfaction.
At the heart of this initiative is the cyber range workstream of ECSO’s WG5 on “Skills & Human Factors”, designed to gather the European Cyber Range Community and tackle a common difficulty faced by organisations. In fact, despite the increasing interest in cybersecurity capabilities, customer requests for proposals (RFPs) often lack the precision needed to indicate specific requirements. This ambiguity, in turn, directly impacts the quality of the final solutions, influencing customer satisfaction.
The checklist empowers organisations to effectively articulate their cyber range requirements. By establishing clear award criteria for electronic tenders, ECSO means to streamline the procurement process, ensuring that selected solutions align closely with the distinctive needs of each organisation.
This initiative is pertinent to various stakeholders, each playing a unique role in the cybersecurity landscape. Security professionals can leverage the checklist to enhance and develop their cyber capabilities, while operators seek to strengthen resilience and ensure business continuity. HR professionals can assess competencies through realistic simulations, and governments may find value in organizing large-scale cyber exercises and national competitions. Companies, too, can benefit by testing and demonstrating critical capabilities through simulations.
For academia, both researchers and educators have roles to play. Researchers can contribute to advancements in cybersecurity by exploring new attack detection and mitigation methods, malware emulation, and more. Educators, on the other hand, can improve teaching methodologies by incorporating hands-on training experiences into their curriculum.
The updated ECSO Cyber Range Checklist & List of European Providers represents a collaborative effort to elevate cybersecurity practices. As this project continues to evolve, organisations are encouraged to actively engage, contributing their insights and expertise to shape the future of cybersecurity solutions.
Organisations eager to contribute to this collaborative effort and feature their cyber range solution are invited to connect with Nina Olesen at nina.olesen[at]ecs-org.eu.
You can find the publication here.
