The University of Akron might be onto something with its cybersecurity major and related test bed that's designed to enable students and others to study malevolent software in a quarantined environment.

UA says it is the first school in Ohio to offer a cybersecurity degree and the only one to develop an on-site test bed for students so far.

The university unveiled its test bed on Dec. 9. It includes 40 workstations, all networked together and able to simulate working networks in businesses and other workplaces. But the facility is completely cut off from the internet, which means students and others can use it to conduct research on viruses, malware and other malicious software without the risk of it escaping and causing harm elsewhere.

Those already working on the front lines of cybersecurity say they welcome both UA's degree program and the test bed, because the industry needs more experts who can protect businesses, governmental entities and other targets from ransomware and other attacks.

"The last time I checked, we were about 500,000 jobs short in the cybersecurity industry, and average pay is pretty significant, too," said Mike Valentine, CEO of Binary Defense, a Stow business that specializes in the field. "But, unfortunately, we only see that number growing because output from the nation's universities just can't keep up."

That might be bad news for large companies looking to hire highly trained cybersecurity experts and only make such specialists less affordable for some smaller companies to retain in-house. But it could be good news for the students enrolled in UA's major, which it rolled out in fall 2017 with 68 students.

Valentine and others in the industry said the new test bed should be a valuable resource to those enrolled in UA's degree program and for the Ohio Army National Guard, which will use the site to help the state and its businesses with cybersecurity issues. It will give them hands-on experience that many job candidates lack.

"Hiring students who have seen it, experienced it and played around with it is a big plus for employers. … Finding someone with real-world experience is always key," said Dave DeSimone, chief security officer for Binary Defense. "There was a time not long ago when we would interview candidates out of college, and others, and their knowledge of cybersecurity was very limited."

He added he's been following the test bed development closely after working with the university to help it develop its degree program.

DeSimone and Valentine predicted UA's new graduates will have little trouble finding jobs, and said their company will be one of many eager to interview them.

Techcrunch.com recently reported that "global spending on cybersecurity is expected to surpass $133 billion by 2022 and that venture capital firms invested a record $5.3 billion in cybersecurity enterprises in 2018."

"We're experiencing significant growth in cybersecurity," Valentine said, noting that Binary Defense went from 35 employees to a staff of 90 over just the past year.

"And we're projecting to add another 50 jobs next year," he added.

Binary Defense is not alone, either. Other companies specializing in cybersecurity are expanding, and other service providers are realizing that their clients need help in the field. Among those is Sikich LLP, an Illinois-based accounting and technology consulting firm that in 2016 acquired Akron's Brockman, Coats, Gedelian & Co. The local operation in 2017 moved into a new 34,000- square-foot regional headquarters on White Pond Drive.

In June, Sikich hired Christopher Hartley, who previously worked with IBM and large consulting firms, as director of cybersecurity to build up its practice in that area. He was definitely watching the test bed and degree program at UA.

"I was aware of it," Hartley said. "My son is in the cybersecurity program at the University of Akron."

He added he's glad to see the test bed open, because of the need for experienced graduates.

"If you've got a solid program and get kids through it with tangible skills than can be applied on Day One, that's only going to benefit them," Hartley said. "So I'm super excited about what's going to come out of the University of Akron with this new lab."

He'll also be hiring, he added, though not quite as rapidly as Binary Defense. He's brought on three people since coming aboard, bringing the firm's cybersecurity practice to about 40 people. Sikich is looking for two more now, he said, predicting that more will come as the practice grows.

"There are a lot of people I know that are hiring now" in cybersecurity, Hartley said.

It's not impossible to find good people today, Hartley maintained, but there are not enough to go around, especially for small to midsize businesses that might seek to hire their own internal experts. Getting all that they need in one person is like "trying to hire spotted unicorns," Hartley said, with such individuals rare today and expensive to hire.

All of this has not gone unnoticed by the potential students UA seeks for its program — if anything, they seem to be ahead of the curve.

What started as a program with fewer than 70 students already has grown to enroll 200, noted professor John Nicholas, who was also the project director for developing the test bed.

"Every phone call we're getting now is about the cybersecurity program," Nicholas said of inquiries to UA's Computer Information Systems Department from potential new students.

He said he's already been told by the university's administration that there's support for the hiring of new professors — which is good, because Nicholas predicted five more professors will soon be needed.

The work is challenging and interesting, he added. More importantly, he said students perceive cybersecurity as a career where jobs are in demand and pay is high — and they're right.

Nicholas said starting pay in the field ranges from more than $50,000 per year to $90,000 per year for new grads, and corporations in Northeast Ohio have told him they are eager to hire his graduates.

"From the moment we announced the new program, I got contacted by about every big company in the area," Nicholas said.