IBM will help train federal agencies and their suppliers to respond to artificial cyber attacks and other data breach threats at a new training facility called the IBM X-Force Cyber Range in D.C.

The facility is at IBM’s downtown D.C. offices at 600 14th Street, NW, a block from the White House, includes two no-cost cyber response training sessions for everyone from legal and mission-critical leaders to C-Suite executive and technical security leads. Training is aimed at preparing for real-world cyber incidents.

Training includes cyber wargames, hands on scenarios for discovering and then responding to cyberattacks. There are also courses that teach participants to see threats and vulnerabilities from the viewpoint of hackers.

“The elite and highly customizable cyber response training we provide at our new DC range helps organizations and federal agencies better defend against existing and emerging threats, and also addresses federal mandates like those in the Biden Administration’s Executive Order 14028 focused on improving the nation’s cybersecurity,” said Alice Fakir, a managing partner that’s leading cybersecurity services for IBM Consulting’s U.S. federal market.

IBM’s research has shown that organizations with incident response teams have faster response times and lower costs. High levels of incident response planning and testing saved industries and governments $1.5 million in breach costs and 54 days from data breach recovery, according to IMB’s 2023 Cost of a Data Breach report.

The IBM X-Force Cyber Range’s first event will be this spring, hosting organizations within the chemical, energy and water industries. A second, no-cost session is planned for later this year.

IBM has about 4,000 employees in the D.C. area.