Jones & Bartlett Learning and Toolwire Launch First-of-its-Kind IT Security Training Program

BURLINGTON, Mass. and PLEASANTON, Calif., Oct. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Jones & Bartlett Learning (www.jblearning.com), a leading publisher of  authoritative content available from academia and industry thought-leaders, has announced a partnership with Toolwire (www.toolwire.com), a global leader of experiential learning technologies, to develop a first-of-its-kind curriculum for IT security training.

As part of its twelve-title Information Systems Security and Assurance (ISSA) Curriculum, JBL partnered with Toolwire to develop the new JBL Virtual Security Cloud Labs.  Supporting both onsite and online classrooms, this "virtual sandbox" provides students with instant, unscheduled access to 65 virtual lab environments from the convenience of a web-browser and allows students to practice "white hat" hacking on an actual IT infrastructure.

Unlike simulations, the JBL Virtual Security Cloud Labs reproduce the complex challenges of the real-world without putting an institution's IT assets at risk.  As part of a blended solution, these labs are an essential tool for catalyzing key course concepts through hands-on training.   This type of engaging experiential learning has been proven to deliver the highest retention among all training methodologies.

"Without question, personalized, adaptive, and experiential learning environments such as the JBL Virtual Security Cloud Labs are the future of education," commented Jim Homer, President at Jones & Bartlett Learning. "The ability to deliver premium content to students in authentic, contextually relevant situations that they will face in the workplace is invaluable.""

What is especially attractive about this program is that students can gain up to 200 hours of hands-on experience as part of a curriculum that is mapped to popular industry certifications, including  the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), CompTIA Security +, and Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP). Providing "virtual internships" that give students real-world experience while they are still in school increases student engagement and motivation, which is extremely beneficial to schools seeking to improve retention rates.

"We are exposing students to exactly what hackers and perpetrators do using these applications and tools," said Chris Will, Sr. VP, Custom and Curriculum Solutions, Jones & Bartlett Learning.  "In order to accomplish this, we had to keep this learning "self contained" so that all student activities on these applications and tools are isolated in a safe environment.  Institutions that use these labs benefit by not putting themselves at risk while giving their students hands-on training that is unmatched."

In order to create these virtual labs, Jones & Bartlett partnered with Toolwire, which has developed virtual work environments for leading global software and Higher Education clients since 1998.  Toolwire hosts, maintains, and provides 24x7x365 support for all of its virtual labs thereby enabling learning institutions to streamline IT infrastructure, manage costs, and provide a more consistent delivery of all labs.

"In today's information economy, there is a huge demand for skilled IT security professionals," commented Cameron Crowe, Toolwire's Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing. "The combination of premium Jones & Bartlett Learning content tailored to industry certifications with Toolwire's proven, reliable experiential learning technologies make this exciting new curriculum a must have for schools providing IT security training."

About Jones & Bartlett Learning

Jones & Bartlett Learning, a division of Ascend Learning, is a world-leading provider of instructional, assessment and learning-performance management solutions for the secondary, post-secondary, and professional markets.  Across a broad spectrum of fields ranging from medicine and emergency services to computer information systems, our educational technology applications and instructional assessment and performance-management solutions are revolutionizing how instructors teach and how students and professionals learn.  With the most up-to-date, authoritative content available from academia and industry thought-leaders, Jones & Bartlett Learning is leading the way for educators, students and professionals to discover new educational and professional skill-development opportunities - enabling personalized learning, anytime, anywhere. For more information, please visit http://www.jblearning.com/.

About Toolwire

Toolwire is a learning solutions provider specializing in products and services for experiential learning. Serving global leaders in both the private sector and Higher Education, Toolwire's core competencies include both hosting and supporting technology solutions and developing media-rich educational content. Toolwire Learnscapes, StudentDesktops, Scenarios, and LiveLabs provide the quickest, most effective way to develop skills and enhance student success. These innovative learning solutions enable organizations to provide "virtual internships" across a broad range of subjects including Business, Health Care, Legal, Information Technology, and more. For more information, please visit www.toolwire.com.

Media Contact:
Peyton Williams
Toolwire, Inc.
1-646-352-2525
[email protected]

SOURCE Toolwire