{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,24]],"date-time":"2025-11-24T16:46:50Z","timestamp":1764002810571,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,22]],"date-time":"2025-07-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1753142400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Computers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The increasing complexity of cybersecurity risks highlights the critical need for novel teaching techniques that provide students with the necessary skills and information. Traditional on-premises laboratory setups frequently lack the scalability, flexibility, and accessibility necessary for efficient training in today\u2019s dynamic world. This study compares the efficacy of cloud-based solutions\u2014specifically, Amazon Web Services (AWS) Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2)\u2014against traditional settings like VirtualBox, with the goal of determining their potential to improve cybersecurity education. The study conducts systematic experimentation to compare lab environments based on parameters such as lab completion time, CPU and RAM use, and ease of access. The results show that AWS EC2 outperforms VirtualBox by shortening lab completion times, optimizing resource usage, and providing more remote accessibility. Additionally, the cloud-based strategy provides scalable, cost-effective implementation via a pay-per-use model, serving a wide range of pedagogical needs. These findings show that incorporating cloud technology into cybersecurity curricula can lead to more efficient, adaptable, and inclusive learning experiences, thereby boosting pedagogical methods in the field.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/computers14080297","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,22]],"date-time":"2025-07-22T09:47:06Z","timestamp":1753177626000},"page":"297","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Optimizing Cybersecurity Education: A Comparative Study of On-Premises and Cloud-Based Lab Environments Using AWS EC2"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6269-1191","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adil","family":"Khan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Engineering and Computing, Liwa University, Al-Ain P.O. Box 41009, United Arab Emirates"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1244-4448","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Azza","family":"Mohamed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Engineering and Computing, Liwa University, Al-Ain P.O. Box 41009, United Arab Emirates"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e12395","DOI":"10.1002\/eng2.12395","article-title":"Leveraging a cloud-based testbed and software-defined networking for cybersecurity and networking education","volume":"3","author":"Rahouti","year":"2021","journal-title":"Eng. Rep."},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"1958","article-title":"Designing scalable software automation frameworks for cybersecurity threat detection and response","volume":"13","author":"Jaiswal","year":"2025","journal-title":"Int. J. Sci. Res. Manag. (IJSRM)"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sahid, A., and Maleh, Y. (2023). Enhancing cybersecurity education: Integrating virtual cloud-based labs into the curriculum. Cybersecurity Management in Education Technologies, CRC Press.","DOI":"10.1201\/9781003369042-8"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Qasem, Y.A., Abdullah, R., Yaha, Y., and Atana, R. (2020). Continuance Use of Cloud computing in Higher Education Institutions: A Conceptual model. Appl. Sci., 10.","DOI":"10.3390\/app10196628"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Beuran, R., Zhang, Z., and Tan, Y. (2022, January 6\u201310). AWS EC2 Public Cloud Cyber Range Deployment. Proceedings of the 2022 IEEE European Symposium on Security and Privacy Workshops (EuroS&PW), Genoa, Italy. Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.","DOI":"10.1109\/EuroSPW55150.2022.00051"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"145","DOI":"10.1109\/TE.2013.2282285","article-title":"Cloud-Based Virtual Laboratory for Network Security Education","volume":"57","author":"Xu","year":"2014","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Educ."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"589","DOI":"10.1016\/j.procs.2022.12.061","article-title":"A Performance Comparative on Most Popular Internet Web Browsers","volume":"215","author":"Mohamed","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int. J. Procedia Comput. Sci."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"350","DOI":"10.52208\/klasikal.v5i2.877","article-title":"Revolutionizing Education: Harnessing the Power of Artificial Intelligence for Personalized Learning","volume":"5","author":"Pratama","year":"2023","journal-title":"Klasikal J. Educ. Lang. Teach. Sci."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"464","DOI":"10.3390\/jcp3030024","article-title":"Deploying secure distributed systems: Comparative analysis of GNS3 and SEED internet emulator","volume":"3","author":"Golightly","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Cybersecur. Priv."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"214","DOI":"10.1504\/IJCC.2024.139604","article-title":"Systematic analysis of on premise and cloud services","volume":"13","author":"Ali","year":"2024","journal-title":"Int. J. Cloud Comput."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Schnieder, M., Williams, S., and Ghosh, S. (2022). Comparison of in-person and virtual labs\/tutorials for engineering students using blended learning principles. Educ. Sci., 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/educsci12030153"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"37050","DOI":"10.1109\/ACCESS.2019.2903720","article-title":"Internet of things monitoring system of modern eco-agriculture based on cloud computing","volume":"7","author":"Liu","year":"2019","journal-title":"IEEE Access"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1145\/3485766","article-title":"A survey of evaluation metrics used for NLG systems","volume":"55","author":"Sai","year":"2022","journal-title":"ACM Comput. Surv."},{"key":"ref_14","first-page":"23","article-title":"Link Analysis to discover relevant documents using Information Retrieval","volume":"178","author":"Patel","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int. J. Comput. Appl."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Agrati, L.S., Burgos, D., Ducange, P., Limone, P., Pecori, R., Perla, L., Picerno, P., Raviolo, P., and Stracke, C.M. (2021). Bridges and Mediation in Higher Distance Education: HELMeTO 2020 report. Educ. Sci., 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/educsci11070334"},{"key":"ref_16","unstructured":"Sahana, B., Dinesh, D., Deekshith, K., Sruthi, A., Deshpande, A., Priyadarshi, R., and Nath, V. (2023). Artificial intelligence based optimized resource allocation using predictive analysis in a virtual environment. Res. Sq."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"149","DOI":"10.15294\/jaist.v4i2.60569","article-title":"Implementation of fuzzy inference system with best-worst method for cost efficiency on Amazon Web Services","volume":"4","author":"Prastiwi","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Adv. Inf. Syst. Technol."},{"key":"ref_18","unstructured":"Aldwairi, M. (2022). Evaluating virtual laboratory platforms for supporting on-line information security courses. arXiv."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2787","DOI":"10.32604\/iasc.2023.034775","article-title":"A proposed architecture for local-host and AWS with multiagent system","volume":"36","author":"Chawla","year":"2023","journal-title":"Intell. Autom. Soft Comput."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dutta, S.J., and Bhattacharjee, R. (2019, January 29\u201331). Integration of virtual laboratories: A step toward enhancing e-learning technology. Proceedings of the 2022 IEEE 7th International Conference for Convergence in Technology (I2CT), Bombay, India.","DOI":"10.1109\/I2CT45611.2019.9033848"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1378","DOI":"10.54660\/.IJMRGE.2024.5.1.1378-1382","article-title":"Cyber Cloud Framework: Integrating Cyber Security Resilience into Cloud Infrastructure Optimization for Enhanced Operational Efficiency","volume":"5","author":"Joel","year":"2024","journal-title":"Int. J. Multidiscip. Res. Growth Eval."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gupta, S., Gupta, B., and Rana, A. (2022). A comparative cost analysis of organizational network Security Test lab setup on cloud versus dedicated virtual machine. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, Springer.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-981-16-9967-2_58"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"160","DOI":"10.14445\/22312803\/IJCTT-V72I10P123","article-title":"Security challenges and solutions in Cloud-Based software systems","volume":"72","author":"Alibadi","year":"2024","journal-title":"Int. J. Comput. Trends Technol."},{"key":"ref_24","first-page":"103585","article-title":"A systematic review of current cybersecurity training methods","volume":"136","year":"2023","journal-title":"Comput. Secur."},{"key":"ref_25","first-page":"373","article-title":"Managing infrastructure in Amazon using EC2, CloudWatch, EBS, IAM, and CloudFront","volume":"6","author":"Anand","year":"2017","journal-title":"Int. J. Eng. Res. Technol. (IJERT)"},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.52731\/ijltle.v3.i1.517","article-title":"Cyexec\u2014Training platform for cybersecurity education based on a virtual environment","volume":"3","author":"Shin","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int. J. Learn. Technol. Learn. Environ."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bernardo, L., Malta, S., and Magalh\u00e3es, J. (2025). An Evaluation Framework for Cybersecurity Maturity Aligned with the NIST CSF. Electronics, 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/electronics14071364"},{"key":"ref_28","first-page":"101607","article-title":"A framework for competence development and assessment in hybrid cybersecurity exercises","volume":"88","author":"Bukauskas","year":"2019","journal-title":"Comput. Secur."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"El-Hajj, M., and Mirza, Z.A. (2024). ProtectingSmall and Medium Enterprises: A specialized cybersecurity risk assessment framework and tool. Electronics, 13.","DOI":"10.20944\/preprints202408.1691.v1"},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e703","DOI":"10.7717\/peerj-cs.703","article-title":"Cybersecurity maturity assessment framework for higher education institutions in Saudi Arabia","volume":"7","author":"Almomani","year":"2021","journal-title":"PeerJ Comput. Sci."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Aliyu, A., Maglaras, L., He, Y., Yevseyeva, I., Boiten, E., Cook, A., and Janicke, H. (2020). A Holistic Cybersecurity Maturity Assessment Framework for higher education institutions in the United Kingdom. Appl. Sci., 10.","DOI":"10.3390\/app10103660"},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"176","DOI":"10.58496\/MJCSC\/2024\/015","article-title":"Computer Networking and Cloud-Based Learning\/Teaching Environment using Virtual Labs tools: A review and future aspirations","volume":"2024","author":"Muhajjar","year":"2024","journal-title":"Mesopotamian J. Comput. Sci."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Villegas-Ch, W., Govea, J., and Ortiz-Garces, I. (2024). Developing a Cybersecurity Training Environment through the Integration of OpenAI and AWS. Appl. Sci., 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/app14020679"},{"key":"ref_34","first-page":"233","article-title":"Optimized strategy for Inter-Service communication in microservices","volume":"14","author":"Weerasinghe","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int. J. Adv. Comput. Sci. Appl."},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Govea, J., Edye, E.O., Revelo-Tapia, S., and Villegas-Ch, W. (2023). Optimization and scalability of educational platforms: Integration of artificial intelligence and cloud computing. Computers, 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/computers12110223"},{"key":"ref_36","first-page":"2240","article-title":"Node.js Performance Benchmarking and Analysis at Virtualbox, Docker, and Podman Environment Using Node-Bench Method","volume":"7","author":"Pratama","year":"2023","journal-title":"JOIV Int. J. Inform. Vis."},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"576","DOI":"10.51594\/csitrj.v5i3.872","article-title":"Emerging Trends In Cybersecurity For Critical Infrastructure Protection: A Comprehensive Review","volume":"5","author":"Daniel","year":"2024","journal-title":"Comput. Sci. IT Res. J."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Radanliev, P., Roure, D.D., Maple, C., and Ani, U. (2023). Super-forecasting the \u2018technological singularity\u2019 risks from artificial intelligence. Res. Sq.","DOI":"10.21203\/rs.3.rs-919939\/v1"},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Meri, A., Hasan, M.K., Dauwed, M., Jarrar, M., Aldujaili, A., Al-Bsheish, M., and Kareem, H.M. (2023). Organizational and behavioral attributes\u2019 roles in adopting cloud services: An empirical study in the healthcare industry. PLoS ONE, 18.","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0290654"},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bayerlein, R., Swarnakar, V., Selfridge, A., Spencer, B.A., Nardo, L., and Badawi, R.D. (2024). Cloud-based serverless computing enables accelerated Monte Carlo simulations for nuclear medicine imaging. Biomed. Phys. Eng. Express, 10.","DOI":"10.1088\/2057-1976\/ad5847"},{"key":"ref_41","first-page":"421","article-title":"Developing a Network for Organization by using AWS","volume":"5","author":"Wandhare","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int. Res. J. Mod. Eng. Technol. Sci."},{"key":"ref_42","first-page":"885","article-title":"Enhancing online delivery of practical labs for cyber security course using virtual laboratories","volume":"20","author":"Haron","year":"2024","journal-title":"Deleted J."},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Qiu, Y. (2016). Evaluating and Improving LXC Container Migration Between Cloudlets Using Multipath TCP. [Master\u2019s Thesis, Carleton University].","DOI":"10.1109\/COMPSAC.2017.163"},{"key":"ref_44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"357","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ins.2015.01.025","article-title":"Security in cloud computing: Opportunities and challenges","volume":"305","author":"Ali","year":"2015","journal-title":"Inf. Sci."}],"container-title":["Computers"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2073-431X\/14\/8\/297\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,9]],"date-time":"2025-10-09T18:13:46Z","timestamp":1760033626000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2073-431X\/14\/8\/297"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,22]]},"references-count":44,"journal-issue":{"issue":"8","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8]]}},"alternative-id":["computers14080297"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/computers14080297","relation":{},"ISSN":["2073-431X"],"issn-type":[{"type":"electronic","value":"2073-431X"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,22]]}}}