InfoWatch is a group of six companies from Russia and other countries that develop software products and solutions for corporate information security. The group’s programmers create tools to counteract internal and external information threats in organizations. With nearly 15 years of experience on the market, the company is one of the leaders in the field of corporate data security in Russia and CIS countries; it currently provides services to more than 1,000 clients in more than 20 countries. Among InfoWatch’s clients are Russian Ministries, major banks and communications providers.

Specialists at the company’s own analytics center monitor data leaks, compile digests and various reports, as well as review corporate data security breaches.  For example, the company’s Global Data Leakage Report for the first half of 2017 tells us which sectors of the economy experienced the most leaks (internet services, trade and finance), as well as that most leaks happen to mid-size businesses and not the larger ones. The report also provides precise data and extensive analytics. Managers can use such information to evaluate existing threats, while data security solution developers can use it to improve their products.

ITMO-InfoWatch training center

Students from ITMO University will learn how to compile this kind of analytical data at the ITMO-InfoWatch training center. A specialized computer room at the university’s building on Lomonosova 9 will be supplied with the necessary software used by analysis experts and InfoWatch’s customers.

 

“Students will have access to the same tools used by specialists at InfoWatch, and so they will learn the newest, most relevant information about data threat analysis. This means that the students will learn to conduct scientific work while ITMO will be able to expand its research work in the field of information security. The data security market is developing at a rapid pace today and there is demand for a more scientific approach. Moreover, further partnership plans include letting our students complete research work for InfoWatch,” – explains Danil Zakoldaev, head of ITMO’s Faculty of Information Security and Computer Technologies.

ITMO-InfoWatch training center will also provide advanced courses to data security specialists, meaning that the center’s capacities will be available not only to the university’s students, but also to the large community of information security programmers and analysts of the Northwest region.

The creation of this training center became possible as the result of a strategic cooperation between ITMO University and InfoWatch in the field of education. The company supervises the Master’s program “Security of Cyberphysical Systems”. The program’s graduates may go on to develop security systems for complex cyberphysical systems, authentication protocols and protocols for secure data processing and transfer for distributed data processing and storage systems. They are also capable of analyzing the current state and future prospects of information security tools, including those involved with complex information systems, such as: the Internet of Things, industrial internet, and others. Graduates from the program tend to work at research divisions of commercial enterprises of government organizations.

President of InfoWatch Group, Natalya Kaspersky, attended the formal opening of ITMO-InfoWatch center. Giving an open lecture at ITMO University, she spoke about the modern challenges related to the creation of a nation’s technological sovereignty. A country with technological sovereignty can produce and support IT products – from hardware to software – all on its own. This is important as it is the only way a government can be 100% sure of the various systems’ stable, uninterrupted function. For instance, if a country’s payment systems have been developed somewhere else, the owners of those systems are able to restrict access to these systems at any given moment.


Natalya Kaspersky

“It’s important that today’s university students realize why we need technological sovereignty; the number of specialists capable of developing solutions for each part of that concept – antiviruses, tablets operating systems – must grow. Our country only began its imports phase-out process three years ago; similar trends can be seen in Europe. In these circumstances, we need Russian specialists who are not only knowledgeable about modern technology, but who understand that these technologies must be safe,” – emphasized Natalya Kaspersky.

She added that new devices and IT-solutions appear so quickly today that information security specialists just can’t keep up with and neutralize every threat. Due to this, the importance of information threat analysts’ work is increased.

The specialized training center is located in room 3312 of the university’s building on Lomonosova Street. After the opening, a workshop was held during which students could learn about the basics of using InfoWatch-made analytics tools and about some of the current trends in information security.


Natalya Kaspersky and Vladimir Vasilyev sign ITMO-InfoWatch partnership agreement

“The idea of establishing this training center has existed for several years; we understood that it’s necessary to train specialists capable of working on the forefront of information security. In this modern world where everything is going digital, where everyone has a digital “portrait”, the issue of data security becomes especially relevant. Digital culture skills, i.e. ethical, cautious behavior in the infosphere, also become crucial,” – said ITMO’s Rector Vladimir Vasilyev.

You can read more about ITMO University’s digital culture and its effect on the students’ educational process here.