The Keonics Cyber Lab, the first State Government sponsored Cyber Lab, started its operation in Mangalore on Saturday.
While the Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation (KEONICS) has set up the lab, it will be managed by Mandamus, a Bangalore-based firm.
The lab will train personnel from the law enforcement agency, the judiciary and government departments in dealing with cyber crime and cyber threats. It will also train students and people from banking and finance sectors about safeguards necessary for information security .
KEONICS Managing Director Aravind Jannu said while the immediate advantage will be for the localites, people from any part of the State and also from neighbouring Kerala can use the facility available at the Cyber Lab. While the training for the personnel from the government will be done free, others will be charged Rs. 1,000 per day or Rs. 10,000 for a week course. There will be concession for students, Mr. Jannu said.
Principal Secretary to Department of Information Technology M.N. Vidyashankar said presence of large number banking and finance institutions in Mangalore was among the reasons for setting up the Cyber Lab in here.
At the Cyber Lab, people will be made aware of aspects such as use of right filters that would keep the data safe, he said. Mr. Vidyashankar said there was awareness among people in the IT field about the powers of the Principal Secretary, who acts as an adjudicating authority under the IT Act. Minister for Higher Education V.S. Acharya, Minister for Science and Technology J. Krishna Palemar and Deputy Speaker N. Yogish Bhat participated in the function.
