Autonomous Data Center Agent for Cyber Security Simulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional cyber security simulation exercises are inefficient and may not effectively educate users about network vulnerabilities due to manual administration and potential misconfiguration of resources, leading to unreliable setups.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous and centralized data center allocation agent dynamically allocates resources within a data center to create a contained network environment for cyber security simulation exercises, ensuring proper setup and transparency to users and administrators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual administration is used to set up cyber security simulation exercises, then flexibility in configuration is improved, but reliability and consistency of resource setup deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service through automated agents that provision resources without manual intervention. The centralized data center allocation agent automatically detects resource availability, allocates computing resources, and configures simulation environments based on predefined templates, eliminating manual administration while maintaining reliability through consistent automated processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies preliminary action by pre-configuring resource allocation templates and policies before simulation exercises begin. The centralized agent pre-identifies available resources and prepares allocation configurations in advance, ensuring that when exercises start, resources are immediately and correctly provisioned without manual setup errors.
2Reliability
If automated resource allocation is implemented, then reliability and consistency of setup are improved, but complexity of the provisioning system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary layer - the centralized data center allocation agent - that mediates between resource requests and physical infrastructure. This agent abstracts complex provisioning logic into a single management point, hiding system complexity from users while maintaining reliable automated resource allocation and configuration throughout the data center.
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized allocation agent serves multiple functions: resource discovery, capacity planning, dynamic allocation, template management, and exercise coordination. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single universal system, the patent manages complexity through functional integration rather than multiple separate systems.
3Productivity
If dynamic resource allocation is used, then productivity and efficiency of simulation exercises are improved, but difficulty of managing resource availability increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the centralized allocation agent continuously monitors resource availability, allocation status, and exercise performance. This feedback loop enables dynamic adjustments - reallocating resources from underutilized areas to high-demand exercises - while automatically managing the complexity of resource availability through real-time visibility and adaptive control.
4Ease of operation
If centralized management is implemented, then ease of administering simulation exercises is improved, but extent of automation required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized management system provides self-service capabilities where administrators can request simulation exercises through simplified interfaces, and the automated allocation agent handles all complex provisioning tasks automatically. This approach achieves ease of administration by making the system appear simple to users while the backend automation manages the complexity of resource coordination and configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method for provisioning cyber security simulation exercises may include (1) maintaining, at a data center level for a data center including a multitude of nodes, a cyber security simulation template that defines a resource configuration for a cyber security simulation exercise in which a participant executes a security attack within a contained network environment to educate the participant about cyber security, (2) detecting an indication to place a user session of the cyber security simulation exercise within the data center to enable the participant to perform the cyber security simulation exercise, and (3) dynamically allocating, by an autonomous and centralized data center allocation agent in response to detecting the indication, a pool of resources at a node within the data center to the user session to enable the participant to perform the cyber security simulation exercise. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.