The first Astra laboratory in the Novosibirsk region was opened at the NSTU-NETI

The implementation of the project will allow the training of specialists who meet the high requirements of the Russian market in the field of cybersecurity and IT. Thanks to the new educational platform, more than 150 students will annually master in-demand digital competencies using domestic IT solutions. Sergey Tsukar, Minister of Digital Development and Communications of the Novosibirsk Region, participate in the opening ceremony of the Astra Laboratory. "NSTU-NETI is one of the leading universities in the region in training IT personnel, a reliable partner of the government of the Novosibirsk region in reducing the personnel shortage in the IT industry, which is most acutely felt today in the field of information security and import substitution. I am glad and proud that the regional higher school has such industrial partners. The opening, I will not be afraid of this word, of the unique Astra Group infrastructure software laboratory will help us in solving the most important task of switching to domestic solutions set by the President of Russia. By the end of 2023, the level of import substitution in state information systems will exceed 96%. In the work on the transfer of automated workplaces of civil servants to domestic solutions, we have reached an indicator of 84.5%. According to the digital transformation strategy of the Novosibirsk Region, this year we will complete the transfer of civil servants' jobs to the Russian office package," the minister stressed. The new laboratory, based on the Information Security Department of the Faculty of Automation and Computer Engineering of NSTU-NETI, will allow students and specialists to train using advanced domestic information technologies. Students will learn how to work effectively with the Russian software infrastructure stack, complete project assignments, complete internships, and participate in the Astra-Career and Astra-Scholarship projects. Note that NSTU-NETI is already actively involved in the scholarship programs of the Astra Group: in two years, 11 students have successfully passed the scholarship selection and are carrying out projects in the areas set by the company. In addition, the university prepares students and staff for successful certification in training programs that confirm high skills in the administration of the domestic Astra Linux OS. "We are pleased to support the initiative of NSTU-NETI to provide students with the opportunity to master digital competencies while working on Russian IT solutions. This approach will contribute to the development of the country's human resources potential in the IT field, which is the main priority of our educational project "Astra Academy". The opening of the laboratory at NSTU-NETI is one of the steps in this direction, thanks to which all conditions for the professional growth of young specialists will be created at the university," commented Alexandra Aleshkova, Director of the Department of Education of Astra Group. The audience is equipped exclusively with Russian solutions — a modern fleet of computers and ICL equipment, on which Astra Group software products are pre-installed. The classroom has all the necessary conditions for a comfortable educational process and project activities. According to Anatoly Bataev, Rector of NSTU-NETI, engineering and scientific work is planned on the basis of the laboratory in the interests of the industrial partner and the industry as a whole in some relevant areas, including research in the field of analyzing the security of domestic operating systems, improving the security of wireless networks, and adapting information security processes for information systems built based on domestic solutions. "Today, the industry sets competence standards in the IT field and ensures the speed and quality of the transition to domestic solutions. We are pleased to work with the industry leader in the person of our long-term partner Astra Group and thank you for including us in the advanced training circuit, which tomorrow will ensure the development of the industry in the most breakthrough areas. By opening a joint laboratory, we reasonably claim the status of a regional competence center for domestic IT technologies," Anatoly Bataev stressed. The new laboratory will also serve as a base for the implementation of several projects within the framework of the STI Competence Center Development Program "Technologies of Trusted Interaction" (TUSUR), in which NSTU-NETI is a participant. The opening program included lectures and students solving practical problems from the experts of the Astra Group — Deputy Marketing Director Anastasia Spirkova and senior engineer Nikita Postnikov.