Known as A3C, the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre opened Australia’s largest cyber test range last week and will host a series of events as part of a national week to promote the growing industry.

The Cyber Test Range is the largest commercial cyber range in Australia and will provide a safe virtual environment to practice handling real-world cyber warfare scenarios through training and evaluation of the latest cyber threats and technologies.

A3C CEO Hai Tran said this collaboration and training within the Range facilities is part of the reason the A3C is the hub of cyber security in Australia.

“The A3C enables South Australia to become the safest place to conduct business through bringing global expertise and best practice to Australia, connecting them with the brightest minds from academia and small to medium-sized businesses,” Tran said.

Australia’s small cyber security sector is forecast to triple its revenue over the coming decade due to increased demand for cyber security products and services, according to AustCyber, the national body for the industry and a partner at the A3C.

The majority of Australian organisations currently lack the capacity to employ large internal cyber security teams which, in turn, creates demand for external, often international cyber services, and the situation has become even more dire as COVID-19 had many businesses pivoting to online services.

To address the shortage and promote industry growth, AustCyber is hosting the national cyber security week, which started Monday and runs until Friday with 30 events that span the industry such as cyber-attack simulations and the annual National Missing Persons Hackathon.

AustCyber CEO Michelle Price said the week was a key program in the organisation’s mission to grow a globally competitive cyber security sector in Australia.

“The events during Australia’s Cyber Week connect Australian cyber capabilities with key domestic and international stakeholders who are contributing to the growth and success of the sector and creates further opportunities to enhance future economic growth,” she said.

“The range of speakers is broad – ranging from CEOs of large corporates and venture capital investors, to ethical hackers, school students with a keen interest in cyber, and those with disabilities working within the sector.”

In Adelaide, the A3C will host events to promote the new centre’s capabilities, including the launch of the SA Cyber Skills Matrix that outlines the current skills shortage and future demand for cyber skilled workers.

Minister for Innovation and Skills David Pisoni said the government invested $10 million in the A3C to address this skills shortage.

“Cyber security is a high demand industry, and the Cyber Training Academy in the A3C, facilitated in the Cyber Test Range, supports the development of a strong talent pool of cyber professionals through upskilling and training opportunities,” he said.

Last week the A3C put the new Range to the test by hosting the Splunk Global Champion of Champions Boss of the SOC (BOTS) competition, the only place in the world to host an in person competition of the event that is usually held in Las Vegas as part of an annual Splunk conference.

Adelaide had 30 participants in the A3C Range from five teams, including industry teams from SAGE Automation and SAAB.

Simon Eid, Group Vice President of Splunk for Australia said Splunk BOTS is a capture-the-flag type competition where teams use the power of data to monitor security, investigate incidents and defeat threats.

“The ability to run competitions such as the Boss of the SOC in a world-class facility like the A3C Cyber Test Range is a game-changer for South Australia and the wider nation,” Eid said.