SimSpace and Rilian Partner to Test AI Cyber Defenses for U.S. and GCC Critical Infrastructure

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Military planners often say, “Train as you fight.” This idea now guides cybersecurity for power grids, ports, and pipelines. This week, SimSpace and Rilian Technologies announced a partnership based on this approach. They want critical infrastructure operators to practice real attacks in a safe cyber range and make sure defenses and automated responses work before facing real threats.

Christian Schnedler, Graham Westbrook, and Jason Rivera hold a SimSpace–Rilian ribbon-cutting in Dubai during a cybersecurity partnership launch.
Christian Schnedler, Graham Westbrook, and Jason Rivera hold a ribbon-cutting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

SimSpace, a Boston company, is joining its simulation-based cyber range with Rilian Technologies, a defense and cybersecurity platform company in McLean, Virginia. Together, they will help governments and allied operators in the United States and Gulf Cooperation Council states. Their main goal is to improve readiness under pressure by running drills that mirror real operational settings and challenges.

The firms said the integrated platform will enable teams to train AI models, test AI agents, and validate “agentic” cyber defense workflows in controlled simulations. That setup aims to reduce risk on live networks while producing repeatable evidence for security and compliance reviews.

“Agentic cyber defense demands an intelligent environment in which to train AI models, test AI agents, and validate agentic workflows,” said Graham Westbrook, VP of International Markets at SimSpace.

Focus on Critical Infrastructure

“Global security depends on how quickly and safely our partners can operationalize modern cyber and defense technology innovations,” said Christian Schnedler, CEO of Rilian Technologies. “SimSpace brings a level of realism and rigor that is essential for nation scale cyber readiness,” added Schnedler.

Cyber Range Joins Defense Platform

Rilian plans to add SimSpace’s cyber range to the Rilian Defense Platform. According to the companies, this will let operators test tools, compare results, and check workflows in realistic situations. They also said the integration is built to meet security, compliance, and control rules that often restrict how systems are tested.

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AI Agents Get A Testbed

The partnership centers on agentic cyber defense, which uses AI agents and automated command-and-control workflows. Customers can train AI models, test AI agents, and check agentic workflows in simulated environments rather than on live networks. Rilian’s platform offers a secure marketplace for tools, an agentic command layer, and automated compliance features to support large-scale deployment. SimSpace calls the range “mission rehearsal” for cybersecurity teams.

Martin Hinton

Martin Hinton is the Executive Editor and Publisher of Cyber Insurance News and Information. With over three decades of journalism experience across six continents, his work encompasses investigative reporting, documentaries, and coverage of cultural, political, and business news. To learn more about his career, click on his name to visit his LinkedIn page.

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