How the SHI-Fortinet Cyber Range Cup boots security training

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Security professionals review thousands of log files daily, sifting through an ocean of data for subtle signs of malicious activity. Theoretical training teaches them what to look for, but real-world attacks demand split-second decisions backed by practical experience.

Organizations need practitioners who can detect, analyze, and respond to attacks in real time. But how do you provide the training they need without risking production environments?

Enter the SHI-Fortinet Cyber Range Cup, powered by Cyber Ranges, which offers cybersecurity professionals hands-on experience in hyper-realistic attack scenarios.

The power of cyber ranges

Cyber ranges create isolated, consequence-free environments that mirror production networks down to the smallest detail. Security professionals test their skills against authentic threats while working with actual infrastructure components, like servers, firewalls, routers, and endpoints, configured to enterprise specifications.

For this year’s Cup winner, this practical approach proved transformative. “I learn best by doing versus simply reading about something,” he explained. “Being able to perform log analysis and see the results of what an attack could look like is something that will help me develop my skill set in my daily tasks at work.”

This hands-on experience reveals patterns and anomalies that theoretical training alone can’t replicate. When security professionals encounter similar signatures in production environments, they draw from direct experience rather than textbook knowledge.

The three pillars of battle-tested security

One size never fits all in cybersecurity, which is why the Cup divides its challenges into distinct tracks.

Blue Team challenges focus on defense, requiring participants to detect and neutralize active threats. These scenarios strengthen incident response capabilities and improve threat detection skills across people, technologies, and systems.

The Red Team track transforms defenders into temporary attackers and teaches them to identify vulnerabilities through real-world exploitation techniques. Participants probe network defenses, manipulate system configurations, and execute complex attack chains. This offensive mindset proves invaluable when strengthening defensive postures.

Purple Team exercises blend both approaches, fostering collaboration between offensive and defensive specialists. “Doing the Purple Team challenge prior to the separate Red and Blue Team challenges worked in my favor,” the winner explained. “Reading about different threat actors at the MITRE framework website is great, but also being able to execute some of the tactics and techniques they might use helped out a lot.”

Building better security teams and a complete security program

The Cyber Range Cup training exercises are built on a foundation of structure and support, setting it apart from typical training exercises. “The moderator took the time to explain, in detail, how to set up and use the resources in the environment. He also gave us a guide on how to proceed through the specific tasks in the simulation.”

This comprehensive support ensures security professionals can focus on skill development rather than wrestling with complex environments. The result? Practitioners who can immediately apply their training to daily security operations.

Organizations benefit, too. The Cup reveals team strengths and improvement areas while allowing security staff to evaluate new tools and techniques without impacting production systems.

Yet, SHI’s security portfolio extends far beyond cyber range training. Our comprehensive suite includes identity and access management (IAM), application security, data-centric security, data center and cloud security, threat and vulnerability management, and security program strategy and operations. SHI also provides an incident response tabletop exercise service that, when combined with the cyber range, offers businesses a more complete picture of their overall cybersecurity posture.

Organizations can leverage SHI’s expertise to align security solutions with their strategic objectives. Our SHI Lab provides data-driven recommendations across market-leading and emerging original equipment managers (OEMs), while our assessment workshops help companies evaluate their security maturity against frameworks like the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) and ISO 27001/27002.

From training to transformation

Security threats evolve daily — traditional training struggles to keep pace. The SHI-Fortinet Cyber Range Cup represents one piece of a larger security transformation strategy — one that combines hands-on experience with comprehensive security solutions tailored to each organization’s needs.

Organizations partner with SHI to protect their expanding attack surface, automate at scale, adhere to state and national regulations, and gain valuable insights and expertise from over 1,000 certified engineers. Whether you’re looking to improve security maturity, simplify your vendor stack, or validate the effectiveness of your current tools, we can help you lay the foundation for security that lasts and evolves as needed.

Ready to transform your security program? Contact SHI’s cybersecurity experts and learn how our comprehensive security solutions can strengthen your defensive posture.