10 May 2022: CREST, the international not-for-profit cyber security accreditation and certification body is partnering with Immersive Labs, the Cyber Workforce Optimization Platform, to support CREST member professionals in developing their defensive and offensive security skills.

The Immersive Labs platform will provide access to hands-on simulations of threats and mitigation techniques, allowing those preparing for CREST examinations to exercise and improve capabilities in line with the certification framework.

"We are delighted to be working with Immersive Labs to offer members a powerful, real-time alternative for ongoing skills development," said Rowland Johnson, president of CREST. "Immersive Labs will be providing labs that are aligned to our examination framework and CREST Accredited organisations will have free access to entry level labs. They will then have the option to gain access to a wider set of labs, at a reduced cost which will be aligned to our Registered and Certified level exams. This new partnership is not only providing our members with better access to training for CREST exams but we also hope it will build a greater sense of community."

CREST will work with Immersive Labs to put a particular focus on incident response, mapping its online, on-demand content to the exam syllabus and delivering a number of bespoke learning pathways.

"Achieving a CREST certification is a high bar, with members benefitting from an in-depth understanding of complex technical skills. Our platform will enable this, letting the community get first-hand experience of offensive and defensive capabilities in an engaging way," said James Hadley, CEO at Immersive Labs. "This shows CREST to be a forward-thinking certification provider dedicated to furthering the development of human cyber capabilities using innovative approaches."

About CREST

CREST is a not-for-profit accreditation and certification body representing the technical information security industry. CREST provides internationally recognised accreditations for organisations providing technical security services and professional level certifications for individuals providing vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, cyber incident response, threat intelligence and security operations centre (SOC) services. CREST Member companies undergo regular and stringent assessment, whilst CREST certified individuals undertake rigorous examinations to demonstrate the highest levels of knowledge, skill and competence. To ensure currency of knowledge in fast changing technical security environments the certification process is repeated every three years.

For more information on CREST: www.crest-approved.org

For media enquires contact: Allie Andrews, allie.andrews@crest-approved.org

About Immersive Labs

Immersive Labs is the world's first Cyber Workforce Optimization solution enabling organizations to measure, map to risk, and optimize the cyber abilities of their workforce in line with a security strategy. The award-winning platform continuously tests, analyses and improves the capabilities of technical and non-technical teams, allowing the expertise of the whole organization to meet ever-evolving risks. This embeds a new level of resilience, unlocking the strategic value of knowledge, skills and judgement in cyber risk reduction and crisis response for the first time.