ACADEMIA

Merit, KINBER Partner for professional development

Written by: Tyler O'Neal, Staff Editor
Category: ACADEMIA

KINBER Members Can Now Access Merit Training Courses at a Discount

Merit Network and the Pennsylvania-based Keystone Initiative for Network Based Education and Research, also known as KINBER, have announced a strategic partnership that provides KINBER members discounted pricing on Merit's Professional Learning and cyber security certification courses. "Our partnership not only provides significant savings to our members, but also provides access to Merit's world-class expertise that will ultimately enhance the entire Pennsylvania landscape," said Wendy Huntoon, KINBER Executive Director. 

KINBER members can access class schedules and sign up for sessions at http://kinber.org/Services.aspx.

Merit provides a regular schedule of in person and live online learning opportunities for IT professionals, aimed at developing and enhancing critical skills, such as networking, Linux security, IPv6, and much more.

KINBER Members will now have access to cyber security courseware and certifications, utilizing the infrastructure of the Michigan Cyber Range. Hosted by Merit, the Michigan Cyber Range is a secure virtual environment used for testing and education. Cyber security courses offered include penetration testing, ethical hacking, information security, digital forensics and more.

KINBER, and Merit have the common goals of providing broadband connectivity to the non-profit community, fostering collaboration between their member organizations and promoting innovation in information technology. Like Merit, KINBER's membership includes higher education institutions, K-12, libraries, government and healthcare organizations.

This win-win collaboration between the two research and education networks will provide KINBER's membership affordable opportunities to expand its information technology acumen and cyber security knowledge base. "We are thrilled to partner with KINBER to offer our classes to their members. It is exciting to contribute to the community as it grows," said Don Welch, president and CEO of Merit Network.

This partnership is the first of its kind for KINBER. Merit currently has learning partnerships with other research and education networks, including Great Plains Network, NCREN, NJEDge.Net, NYSERNet & WiscNet.