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CyberUP Institute · Cyber Crisis Readiness
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Cyber Arena

SIMULATE THE ATTACK.
TEST THE RESPONSE.

CyberUP Arena brings technology, people, processes and decisions into the same exercise. These cyber range environments use realistic IT/OT scenarios and controlled simulations to test the organisation’s response — before a real crisis does.

Compare the three solutions How it works
Illustration of the digital, infrastructure and exercise components of the Cyber Arena family.
IT Networks and servicesOT / ICS Processes and dependenciesPeople Roles and coordinationDecisions Priorities and responsibilities

The exercise environment is separate from the client’s production network. Scope and content depend on the solution selected.

One family, three configurationsDifferent models. One readiness objective.

Cyber Arena solutions

One capability.
Three ways to put it to work.

The choice depends on the environment to represent, the autonomy required and how participants will access it. The three solutions address different needs; they are not a maturity ranking.

Illustration of a Cyber Arena exercise environment with multiple operational areas.
Dedicated environment

Cyber Arena
Physical

Build an in-house capability designed around the client’s operating environment.

Environment
Tailored emulation of the IT/OT systems and dependencies included in the project.
Installation and access
Dedicated infrastructure at the client’s premises.
Autonomy
An ongoing, client-owned capability, supported by Train-the-Trainer programmes.
When to choose it
When systems, roles and procedures need regular exercising in your own operational context.
What you receive
Dedicated infrastructure, capability development tools, and the technical and training support defined for the project.
What you can exercise
An integrated response and new software and hardware implementations within the emulated environment.
Explore Physical Cyber Arena
Illustration of a Cyber Arena environment with systems and workstations.
Targeted emulation

Cyber Smart
Arena

Focus the exercise on a priority system, process or operational scope.

Environment
Emulation of a selected part of the client’s environment and its dependencies.
Installation and access
A targeted configuration sized for the scope to be exercised.
Autonomy
A focused capability, with infrastructure and scenarios tailored to the mission.
When to choose it
When the objective is to test and develop a specific capability around critical priorities.
What you receive
A targeted configuration and content suited to the selected systems and capabilities.
What you can exercise
Specific capabilities and their dependencies. Testing new implementations has a narrower scope than in the Physical Cyber Arena.
Explore Cyber Smart Arena
Illustration of an exercise environment with infrastructure and workstations.
Arena access

Training
Arena

Exercise people and procedures in the CyberUP environment without a client-owned installation.

Environment
A CyberUP IT/OT exercise environment, not a dedicated replica of the client’s systems.
Installation and access
Sessions at the CyberUP Arena, remotely or through a combined programme.
Autonomy
Access to CyberUP infrastructure and scenarios without building your own Arena.
When to choose it
When the priority is developing the capabilities of technical teams, leaders and organisational functions.
What you receive
Access to CyberUP environments and scenarios for in-person and remote programmes, plus agreed demonstrations.
What you can exercise
Role-specific skills, decisions and procedures. It is not a test environment that fully replicates the client’s systems.
Explore Training Arena

This comparison helps you choose a model. Scope, configuration and delivery are defined around the organisation’s objectives.

Beyond technical skills alone

The exercise
tests the organisation.

CyberUP Arena connects the IT and OT environment with the people who defend, decide, coordinate and protect continuity. Technical expertise remains essential: the exercise connects it to processes, responsibilities and operational consequences.

Observing a single action is not enough. You need to understand how information travels, who makes a decision and how different functions support the same response.

The role of Cyber Crisis Readiness
TechnologyThe ability to act
OrganisationThe ability to coordinate
ContinuityThe ability to decide

Designed around your context

Your environment.
Your risk.
Your response.

Infrastructure, dependencies, processes and responsibilities make every organisation different. In dedicated and targeted solutions, the scope of emulation is built around that reality.

In the Training Arena, objectives, scenarios and programmes are adapted within the CyberUP environment. It is not presented as a replica of the client’s systems.

TechnologyIT environment
Networks, services, workloads, systems and digital dependencies relevant to the scenario.
OperationsOT / ICS context
Industrial processes and converged environments for exercising operational consequences and recovery priorities.
OrganisationRoles and decisions
Leadership, Cyber, IT/OT, Operations, Legal and Communications, according to the exercise responsibilities.
ScenarioThreat context
Events and attacks tailored to the risks, operational priorities and capabilities being tested.

An organisational response

Technology, people and decisions.
In the same exercise.

Responsibilities differ. The context is shared. The exercise makes the links between technical response, operations and crisis leadership observable.

Functions involvedResponsibilities to exerciseWhat to observe
Cyber DefenceCyber / SOC / IR
Event analysis, evidence gathering and technical response.
What to observeThe quality of actions and coordination with other teams.
OperationsIT / OT / ICS
System stability, operational dependencies and recovery priorities.
What to observeProcess protection and business continuity.
LeadershipC-Level & Crisis Team
Risk assessment, priorities and direction of the response.
What to observeClarity of mandate and decision quality.
Trust & GovernanceLegal / Communications
Obligations, stakeholders, and internal and external communications.
What to observeConsistent information and coordinated governance.

This is a responsibility map, not an activation sequence. Participation and involvement depend on the scenario, procedures and objectives.

Explore capabilities

Controlled realism

Realistic enough to matter.
Controlled enough to test.

The scenario must be relevant to the operating environment. The exercise must remain separate from the client’s production systems.

Separation by design

The exercise runs in the Arena.
Not in production.

A simulation environment isolated or segregated from the client’s production network.

Connectivity required for remote access, support and updates is controlled.

Defined scope
Systems, scenarios, participants and objectives are agreed before the exercise.
Exercise control
Rules, roles, observation and coordination guide the simulation.
Controlled connections
Separation from production does not mean the absence of every network connection or immunity from external threats.

Exercise Lifecycle

Reference lifecycle
  1. 01

    Design

    Context, scenario, roles and objectives.

  2. 02

    Attack

    Controlled activation of the adversarial scenario.

  3. 03

    Respond

    Participants’ actions and decisions.

  4. 04

    Control

    Management of the exercise as it develops, with observation of the response.

  5. 05

    Improve

    Debrief, gaps and improvement actions.

The White Team oversees the entire exercise. Control does not begin only at the fourth step. Red, Blue and White Teams have distinct roles; they are not successive phases.

Explore how it works

Observable readiness

Response becomes
evidence.

A Cyber Arena does more than put participants through a scenario. It helps reconstruct what happened, identify friction in the response and define improvement actions.

Decisions
The speed and effectiveness of engaging the right decision-making authority.
Coordination
Coordination across technical, operational and governance functions.
Containment
The quality and timing of the technical and operational actions required by the scenario.
Recovery
Protection of critical processes and priorities for operational recovery.
Escalation
Clear roles, mandates, thresholds and information handovers.
Communication
Consistent, timely information for the functions and stakeholders involved.

These are areas of observation, not company results or scores. Response timing and quality are assessed against the scenario and the exercise criteria.

Find your Arena

Context · Objectives · Autonomy

What level of readiness
does your organisation need?

Start with the environment to protect, the capabilities to develop and the autonomy required — not with the product.

Email CyberUPReview the comparison

Start with the scope you need to exercise.

Select a solution or define the objective with us. Exploring the comparison does not automatically change your message.

Contact us

Write to us

Email us directly or fill in the form below: we’ll get back to you.

Email us: info@cyberupinstitute.com

Your current interest: Cyber Arena

Objective: Design a cyber exercise

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