Cyber crime is a growing and very serious threat to our wealth and well-being. Especially the informational assets that deal with security, defence and financial processes need to be stored and kept completely secure.
Data leakage and insufficiently guarded backdoors put these assets – and with them our wealth and safety – at risk. Find out, what Cassidian does to prevent crime to prevail in the digital world.

An ordinary office located in an industrial complex on the outskirts of some city. A good technical infrastructure to access the internet and some high performance computers. It’s pretty basic. And yet, from this nondescript office one of the biggest threats to multinational corporations and government agencies can be launched at any time. Cyber-attacks are a growing problem. It is fair to say that a ‘war’ has been going on for quite some time now. And data storage centres and PCs along with the internet are the battlegrounds of this modern warfare. The times, however, when your average hacker was a twenty-something pizza-munching computer whiz are long gone. The times they are a changing…

In today’s highly complex and connected world, cyber-security is a very precious commodity not only for the private internet user, but also for the commercial entities and public officials alike. In an age when wisdom, aka knowledge (and technical knowhow), determines the new ‘wealth of nations’, the protection of intellectual property is a prerequisite for success and stability. Also, the security and prosperity of entire nations depend on a secure infrastructure and seamless flow of protected data. To secure the vast pool of bits and bytes both IRL (in real life) as well as in the virtual world, precautionary measures are paramount. Just as you lock your car or house when leaving it, your data should also be protected. We increasingly hear about the impact of cyber-attacks and the defence strategies against these. It is a constant battle between potential intruders and guardians. And as in the real world, the higher the value, the more complex and expensive are the protective measures.

With the stakes so high in the battle of more and more sophisticated attacks, water-tight security systems are absolutely essential. Cassidian, an EADS company and worldwide leader in global security solutions and systems, providing Lead Systems Integration and value-added products and services to civil and military customers around the globe, has now put an emphasis on cyber security as a result of new threats occurring in the virtual world. With some 28,000 employees, Cassidian offers air systems (aircraft and unmanned aerial systems), land, naval and joint systems, intelligence and surveillance, cyber security, secure communications, test systems, missiles, services and support solutions – all for the preservation of security. This includes secure data handling as well as computer network defence.

“Protecting the world’s information assets and communication infrastructure from intrusion and malware is one of the most vital areas of our business, and it is a growing one,” says Hervé Guillou, Head of Cyber Security at Cassidian. “Hackers are shifting more and more towards the organised crime scene and also the wider range of espionage. This is making it a survival matter to protect values. And the market for cyber-security is a growing and very interesting one.”

Thus, security specialists are not only highly sought-after talents with quite an enviable job description. It seems like they are engaged in a large-scale computer game, protecting property in a highly intense battleground. Thus, more and more IT professionals are looking for employment opportunities in such areas as cyber security and cyber protection. In the years to come this market segment is likely to grow in importance. And Cassidian’s ‘CyberSecurity Training Centre’ is proof of this development. Launched in mid-March 2012, this centre operates security facilities in Germany, France and the United Kingdom. Each facility has classrooms, security cockpits and test and experimentation platforms, and offers a catalogue of dedicated training courses with hands-on exercises. Programmes and partnerships with universities as well as a Cyber Professorship complete the offering. As governments, public sector organisations and private companies are increasingly seeking advice on cyber security, the introduction of the Training Centre was a logical step to be able to accelerate the growth of Cassidian’s resources and offerings. The centre provides professional and technical training for cyber security experts. The three-year course places an emphasis on practical exercises to deal with new vulnerabilities, e.g. smartphones, smart grids, ICS/SCADA (Industrial Control System/Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition).

The Cassidian CyberSecurity Training Centre also offers a cooperation programme. This aims to find and attract ‘talent’ by developing trust-based partnerships with universities, engineering schools and cyber security professionals in such varied areas as risk assessment, practical exercises in fighting cybercrime, doctrine and legal aspects – all this while maintaining strong links with testing and research. Martial Imberti, a former French MOD General, has been appointed Director of the Cassidian CyberSecurity Training Centre. He will use his experience of both industry and public service, to oversee the management of IT systems, organisations and education.

Cassidian can list some prestigious names among its customers. In the cyber training field, Cassidian offers expertise, training and products to NATO countries. The portfolio also includes computer network defence and, in the area of information security, Secure Exchange Gateways for the secure transfer of information between different domains. Developments are carried out in cooperation with the German Security Agency and with the Bundeswehr. Cassidian Public Key Infrastructure is certified with the US Department of Defence. The digital certificates issued by the Cassidian PKI secure the flight data loading on the A380, A350, A320 Neo, as well as the doubtless recognition of the aircraft fleet at the Airport Gate.

For computer network defence, Cassidian houses a state of the art, 24/7 Security Operations Centre (SOC), providing a Managed Service to several high profile customers in the United Kingdom.

Also, in the computer security field, Cassidian has provided a cutting-edge computer defence suite called Cymerius for the French Navy. This is a system for monitoring and controlling cyber-attacks, collecting information at a central location and alerting each player involved so that they can respond to any invasion at very short notice. Cymerius is a solution that guarantees a networked security response in complex environments, which depend on numerous data sources and human interventions.

With such impressive projects, it is no wonder that more and more young professionals and postgraduates are turning to the cyber security market. This segment is not only technically challenging, but also helps to safeguard wealth and benefits stability and security the world over. So an appropriate motto for the new Training Centre could be: Security first!

Geoff Pinner, Head of Integrated Fuselage & Cabin Plateau and Bernard Kock am Brink, Head of A350 XWB Derivatives, are very experienced professionals, having started their careers at Airbus over two decades ago, working in several different positions within the company. We asked both experts for their views on Airbus, the most innovative and greenest Airbus Programme – the A350 XWB – and the career milestones they have experienced at Airbus so far.

25 year old Belgian/French Elise Debry works as a design engineer for Astrium, the space division of the EADS Group, in Les Mureaux near Paris. For the young professional the position is her first job after completing her studies in engineering.

My career start

My interest in EADS was first ignited during an internship at Astrium as part of my studies. During the last year of my engineering course, I specialised in space engineering. After that, an internship at Astrium, one of the main European space companies, was a natural next step. When deciding what offer to take, I had a choice between staying at EADS or working for the French Space Agency (CNES). I’ve chosen a position at Astrium Space Transportation because this company, as the prime contractor of Ariane 5, the European heavy launcher, offers a very broad spectrum of activities (from mechanical design to propulsion or software) and many career opportunities. Moreover, the international aspect of Astrium was very compelling. The reason why I decided to get involved in the aeronautics field was clear: ‘problem solving’ is the name of the game. And the bigger or more complex the problem, the more fun and gratification I get from solving it.

A truly thrilling job

I am currently working on the Ariane 5 E/S Galileo project. The goal is to adapt the Ariane 5 launcher (the vessel taking the payload into space) to launch Galileo satellites into orbit. These will be used for the future European Global Positioning System. Four Galileo satellites will be launched in one mission. This requires some modifications to the existing launcher, and particularly the development of a specific structure to carry the four satellites. My role as a design engineer on this project is to ensure the consistency of the development of primary structures of the launcher so that, once assembled, the different parts, also called Stages, result in a robust launcher able to sustain the loads and carry out its mission: carry satellites into space.

Ariane 5 is a truly European project. The various parts of the launcher are designed and built in several European countries. I especially like the international aspect of my job; working with German, French and Spanish people is really interesting. After starting out at Astrium, I found everything I wanted and more in the job description. When asked what the most important prerequisites for my job are, these are very clear to me: you need a critical mind, a great deal of creativity and global thinking. Every day brings new and different situations and challenges. You have to come up with answers that prove to be right and that are able to stand the test.

A typical working day

As my contribution is the design of the launcher, I have to take care of all sorts of aspects. Questions ranging from the most appropriate materials to choose to mathematical problem-solving are my daily business – but I’m not alone! As an engineer on a very complex project, I’m really part of the team.

I frequently have to analyse new or altered problems which arise as the project progresses, and I have to be able to find appropriate solutions, elaborate a strategy and justify my solutions to highly complex technical issues. Sometimes finding a solution seems to be like looking for a needle in a haystack – but that is precisely what makes the work so interesting.

Male vs. female?

Clearly I am working in an environment with fewer women than men – about 20 per-cent of the workforce at Astrium are women. But this gender imbalance is not new for me: this is what I have been used to since the beginning of my scientific studies (in mechanical engineering). However, things are changing slowly: there are more women engineers of my age now than there were a few decades ago.

I have always liked the cooperative team work element and the focus being clearly on the many problems to solve. Also, I have never felt under pressure or alienated by my minority position. Among engineers, gender issues seem to matter less than elsewhere. Engineers – men and women alike – are focused on technical problem solving.

Work-life balance

Astrium offers me many career options and also supports me in more ways than one. The Les Mureaux site has many sports facilities which we can avail of during lunchtime or after work. Such a break in the working day improves our feeling of well-being and helps our concentration and work performance. When I look at some of my colleagues, I see that they get full maternity/paternity support in the form of part-time work and home office options. That is a good and mutually beneficial choice for employee and employer as both sides profit from such a solution.

The space race

The thought of being part of a team that actually develops a launcher to put payloads into space is one of the most challenging aspects of my daily routine. Still after three years now, I love the thought that somewhere satellites can be put into space and serve their purpose because I helped to design the launcher in just the right way.

Live launch

Each time Ariane 5 takes off, I watch the launch from Kourou live on the Internet. The launch brings everything together in one single event. I enjoy being at the forefront of cutting-edge technical development in one of my favourite fields – space!

I’m looking forward to seeing the launcher version I am working on, Ariane 5 E/S Galileo, take off! Unfortunately, I will have to wait until the end of 2014. This is one of the disadvantages of working on space development projects. You have to be patient to see the concrete results!

No drawbacks?

Well, a truly hard challenge is that you cannot test-drive a launcher before it is put into space. It goes up or it does not. So you’d better get it right straight away. No second chance for a first impression. That is quite a credo for me. I guess it is really the problem solving part that I love most!

A 30 percent increase in performance and larger payload capacity mean that the new Eurocopter EC175 exceeds ambitious targets.

What do you expect from an engine that runs out of oil? Certainly not a 30 minute life span! The experts at Eurocopter, the world’s number one helicopter manufacturer in the civil and parapublic market, were able to supply the latest version of the Eurocopter EC175 with this survival strategy.

The little miracle was especially helpful, as the engineers at the Design Office tried to find ways to make an already very strong product even better. Looking at the EC175, which is going to hit the markets in late 2012, the task to improve the performance was clearly a challenge. But the specialists succeeded in more ways than one.

As the helicopter is designed for offshore oil and gas missions, it will be out-performing any medium-lift helicopter on the market today in terms of competitiveness. A 30 percent performance increase compared with the initial performance baseline speaks a clear language. And for longer-range missions, the EC175 can transport 12 passengers to a radius of action of 190 nautical miles. But that was not enough. In addition, Eurocopter is developing an 18 passenger configuration option, aimed at carrying those 18 passengers to a radius-of-action of 100 nautical miles. Think big – and the engineers did.

How did the engineers come up with the idea to increase the payload capacity and reach of the aircraft in such a manner? The secret is a close and fruitful two-way dialogue with prospective customers throughout the entire development programme. The engineers not only fulfilled today’s requirements but also projected the virtues of the helicopter for future increased requests. This puts the EC175 at the forefront of the market.

The particular needs to be fulfilled include hot and cold weather trials, bird strike tests and gearbox operation for 30 minutes after loss of oil. By now two EC175 prototypes have logged more than 270 flight hours and manufacturing activity is continuing – with the first two production aircrafts being assembled at Eurocopter’s Marignane facility in France.

What makes this helicopter stand out from the pack? Well, it has the highest safety standards for passenger transport including unique flight envelope protection and pilot assistance with the most advanced 4-axis dual-duplex automatic flight control system – derived from Eurocopter’s EC225 helicopter – and a highly intuitive new avionics system and human machine interface. What benefit does this have? Well, the pilot’s workload is decreased as a result of better situational awareness and the help of an innovative crew-alerting concept, supported by a powerful vehicle monitoring system. All of these benefits will help to make operation of the helicopter less stressful and as a result will diminish sources of human error. Safety first!

Often an increase in performance means a decrease in passenger comfort. Not here, however, as the Spheriflex rotor-equipped EC175 also offers unrivalled low vibration levels similar to the benchmark EC155. And as size matters in some instances, the largest cabin in its class can be found in the EC175. It is also fitted with extra-large windows and an optimised climate control system that functions while in-flight and on the ground through an engine declutch function.

And as we are speaking of size: with its superior standard internal fuel tank capacity of more than 2,000 kg and its spacious interior, the EC175 is the most capable search and rescue helicopter in the seven-to-eight metric tonne category, providing the longest range/endurance capability with cabin volume that enables MEDEVAC (medical evacuation) search and rescue missions to be performed.

Eurocopter will support its EC175 operators for an easy entry into service, facilitated by on-board maintainability- and reliability-enhancing features such as a monitoring system with an on-ground maintenance reporting capability to facilitate troubleshooting, HUMS (health and usage monitoring system), 3D technical publications, full-flight simulators, optimised scheduled maintenance through MSG-3, and a continuous maintenance review board process incorporating input from operators. All of this will be complemented by the Eurocopter Group’s support organisation and the establishment of dedicated entry-into-service services. For this particular helicopter the motto clearly is: Think BIG!

If you like challenges and are keen on working with cutting edge technology, EADS and its four Divisions – Airbus, Astrium, Cassidian and Eurocopter – could be a solution for you. Here, you can find information on how to apply and the procedure that you can expect. Lois Benquet, Global Sourcing Expert at the EADS Recruitment Center, will tell you all you have to know and even let you in on some insider tips. Just watch the video and take the next step.