Shield and Sword: UserGate and RANEPA Prepare the Next Generation of Digital Defenders
The Novgorod branch of RANEPA has joined the UserGate Educational Partnership program. Students will gain access to real-world cybersecurity solutions, work with next-generation firewalls (NGFWs), and have opportunities for internships and certification.
Cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated, while Russia is increasingly replacing foreign network and data protection products with homegrown solutions. A recent development in Veliky Novgorod offers another example. UserGate, one of Russia’s leading cybersecurity developers, and the Novgorod branch of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) have signed a cooperation agreement.
Training Talent for the Here and Now
The Novgorod branch of RANEPA has joined UserGate Educational Partnership, a program designed to support universities and colleges that train future IT professionals. Students will be able to work with technologies they are likely to encounter in their careers, including next-generation firewalls (NGFWs).
The program gives universities access to the developer’s expertise. Students, meanwhile, can complete internships and practical training at UserGate itself, as well as with its customers and partners. The university and the vendor work together to prepare the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.
The partnership is particularly important for the Novgorod region. Government agencies and industrial companies are actively developing their digital infrastructure, creating demand for professionals who can protect those systems in real-world settings. As Yulia Kononova, director of the Novgorod branch of RANEPA, explains: “Our partnership with UserGate is focused on training managers and cybersecurity engineers who can protect the region’s digital environment here and now.”
Threats They Never Heard About in Class
The experience of Russian cybersecurity companies and universities shows how this kind of partnership can work. In 2021, InfoTeCS and the Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics (MTUCI) signed a partnership agreement. They agreed to hold cybersecurity webinars, educational courses, workshops and public lectures, as well as organize cybersecurity competitions at the university.
In 2022, the Astra Group of Companies and Kalashnikov Izhevsk State Technical University (ISTU) signed an agreement. The partners agreed to establish specialized classrooms at the university based on the Astra Linux operating system, jointly develop specialized curricula and teaching materials, and train faculty members. Students gained opportunities to complete practical training and certification with the vendor, as well as participate in the Astra-Karyera scholarship program. In 2023, the Garda Group of Companies and MTUCI agreed to jointly train cybersecurity professionals who can also work with AI.
The year 2024 brought a particularly active wave of partnerships. The UserGate Academy and Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas signed a strategic cooperation agreement. Students gained the opportunity to study Russian cybersecurity solutions, complete practical training and internships at the company and with its partners, and receive certification free of charge. Dmitry Pravikov, head of the Department of Integrated Security of Critical Facilities at Gubkin University, points to the importance of preparing students for threats they have never encountered before: “Cybersecurity education can be considered high-quality when a graduate is capable of dealing with threats that were never even discussed at the university.”
That same year, UserGate and the Bonch-Bruevich St. Petersburg State University of Telecommunications signed a strategic partnership agreement focused on training cybersecurity professionals. In 2025, UserGate, the Novosibirsk Region Ministry of Digital Development and Communications, and Novosibirsk State Technical University (NSTU NETI) signed a three-way cooperation agreement on technology substitution and IT workforce training. On July 4, 2025, UserGate opened a laboratory at NSTU NETI’s Department of Information Security, the company’s first regional facility in Russia. The lab was equipped with hardware and software complexes running UserGate software, and more than 200 students will be able to train there each year.
A Gateway Into the Profession
The connection between cybersecurity companies and universities is likely to grow stronger. It can take the form of individual courses, laboratories, certification programs and training centers. Importantly, building an educational ecosystem around Russian cybersecurity products could also help UserGate expand its solutions internationally. The company’s partnership program includes professional training, certification and implementation support.
It is hardly surprising that companies want to develop their own talent pipelines, introduce students to their products and teach them how to use those products. These partnerships can benefit everyone involved. Universities gain access to current technologies and industry expertise, vendors gain a pool of trained professionals, and regions gain qualified specialists who can become a long-term source of local expertise. For young professionals themselves, learning to work with Russian cybersecurity products can make it possible to stay in their home region, find interesting jobs and help protect the digital infrastructure of their communities – and potentially the country as a whole.
