Cyber Florida’s Partnership with SimSpace

At Cyber Florida, our mission is to strengthen the state’s cybersecurity ecosystem. A key part of that work is our partnership with SimSpace, which enables us to deliver a comprehensive platform for both offensive and defensive cybersecurity training.

Through this partnership, we power the ARCS (Aligned Realistic Cyberattack Simulation) Range, an advanced cyber range featuring high-fidelity simulations of complex networks and systems. These simulations allow users to engage in hands-on exercises that mirror today’s most pressing cyber threats, bridging the gap between theory and real-world application.

A national first in public-sector cyber training

Cyber Florida is delivering something unmatched: the nation’s only statewide, hands-on, customized cybersecurity training for the public sector.

This is a new level of training realism. Government systems can be fully virtualized, allowing cybersecurity professionals to defend their own environments in a safe, controlled setting. Within this space, teams can practice responding to sophisticated attacks launched by professional-grade adversaries without risking live systems.

The ARCS Range builds on this capability by offering a deeply customizable training environment that replicates entire systems and tests them against a library of real-world cyber threats. Participants are not only refining technical skills but also stress-testing response plans and gaining exposure to the tactics and techniques used by nation-state actors, including those associated with China, Russia, and Iran.

This type of immersive, high-stakes preparation is invaluable and uniquely available at scale across Florida.

Florida is a national leader in cybersecurity

We were honored to be recognized in SimSpace’s recent announcement of the relocation of its headquarters to Florida. The release highlights the state’s leadership in cybersecurity:

“Florida has emerged as the nation’s most sophisticated and unified cybersecurity environment. Through Cyber Florida, cybersecurity strategy, talent development, and operational coordination are aligned statewide. No other state has achieved this level of integration, with cybersecurity leadership anchored directly in the executive branch.”

This recognition reinforces what we see every day: Florida is building a model for how states can align strategy, workforce, and operations to meet evolving cyber challenges.

Read the full release: SimSpace Moves Global Headquarters to Orlando, Florida.

Strategic value across Florida’s ecosystem

The ARCS Range delivers measurable impact across multiple sectors, supporting a wide range of stakeholders:

• University IT & security teams gain a safe, controlled environment to validate their security posture and rehearse incident response scenarios, reducing risk before real-world threats emerge.
• Academic faculty and researchers benefit from infrastructure that strengthens competitiveness for major federal grants, including those from NSF and DoD.
• State and local governments access no-cost, high-quality training to improve resilience and better protect critical public services.
• K–12 students engage early through gamified cybersecurity competitions, helping build a strong and diverse future workforce pipeline.

Multiple university entities already leverage the ARCS Range at no cost, with additional partners continuing to join.

Operational excellence: training for the real world

The ARCS Range provides Florida’s public sector and university IT teams with a proactive, risk-free environment to test and strengthen their defenses before they are challenged by real-world adversaries.

Key capabilities include:

• High-fidelity digital twin environments
  Organizations can replicate complex networks, including specific hardware, legacy systems, and hybrid cloud configurations, to safely test patches and configuration changes in a sandbox that mirrors production environments.
• Tailored training for local governments
  Specialized modules address the unique needs and resource constraints of Florida’s counties and municipalities, ensuring that even smaller jurisdictions have access to advanced cybersecurity capabilities.
• Live-fire readiness and stress testing
  Teams engage in Red vs. Blue exercises against simulated nation-state-level threats, building critical “muscle memory” and improving Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) and Mean Time to Respond (MTTR).
• Security stack validation
  Agencies can safely test tools such as EDR, SIEM, and firewalls against live malware to identify vulnerabilities and misconfigurations without risking live data.

Driving research and academic innovation

The ARCS Range is also a powerful academic resource, supporting both instruction and cutting-edge research.

As a teaching tool, it enables professors to move beyond theory, introducing students to complex technical concepts while giving them the opportunity to apply that knowledge in realistic, hands-on scenarios within a safe environment.

As a research platform, the range provides a secure, high-fidelity environment for experimentation with complex systems. This capability not only advances innovation but also enhances grant competitiveness, helping faculty secure major federal research funding.

Additional research applications include:

• Critical infrastructure and OT security
  Simulation of industrial control systems (ICS) to support research into protecting power grids, water systems, and election infrastructure.
• High-fidelity data generation
  Creation of datasets used to train machine learning models to detect evolving threats and ransomware patterns.
• Human-centric AI research
  Exploration of how AI-assisted tools impact analyst decision-making, cognitive load, and performance during high-pressure cyber events.

Building Florida’s cyber workforce

The ARCS Range is not just a training platform; it is a catalyst for workforce development across the state.

• CyberLaunch and K–12 capture the flag competitions
  Students engage in hands-on challenges that gamify cybersecurity while introducing them to real-world tools and career pathways.
• Experiential learning for university students
  Learners gain practical, scenario-based experience that prepares them to enter the workforce with confidence and capability.

A platform for what’s next

The combination of Cyber Florida’s statewide mission and SimSpace’s cutting-edge platform is helping define the future of cybersecurity training, research, and workforce development.

By providing a shared, high-impact resource like the ARCS Range, Cyber Florida is not only strengthening defenses today, it is building a more resilient, innovative, and prepared Florida for tomorrow.

Learn more about the ARCS Range and how to get started.