There has been a significant increase in the amount of Australian businesses and enterprises experiencing ransom cyber-attacks on their networks in 2018. The IT department is no longer made up of the maintenance and technical whiz, but rather of many niche and mandatory skills that a few years ago were unheard of, especially cyber security. Cyber security has attracted so much attention in the past couple of years because it has become such a high-value position in any enterprise.
According to Forbes, the 2019 forecast for cyber security will raise profits in the boardroom since many major firms in Australia across various industries have been targeted; CEOs and board members are in fear that their company could be next. For large and small corporations alike, a cyber-attack can be catastrophic. In a critical situation such as this, all associated partners and shareholders will directly hold the leading corporate ladder responsible, moving past the IT department, CMOs and CISO.
Cyber security has gained so much importance in the past couple of years, that all businesses whether small or large are now adopting an enterprise approach to their cybersecurity efforts. In 2019, it is predicted that smaller businesses will also enlist in creating a thorough cyber security strategy by including a robust security operation centre that will ensure the safety and protection of sensitive information. In a world where technology is evolving at a rapid pace to help make organisations more efficient, so are the malicious hackers that are creating codes and programs that are intended to corrupt data at a vast speed.
For those interested in the cyber security profession, keeping up with the latest trends is not enough considering there are new threats that are much harder to ramify than ever before. One way that cyber security professionals tend to stay relevant and in demand is by undertaking continuous educational courses throughout their careers. These educational ventures can vary from certificate courses to Masters programs. Taking up new educational certificates or specialised Masters programs can give an individual a significant advantage over their counterparts. In fact, many larger enterprise organisations prefer that cyber security professionals have a current diploma/degree that is relevant to the field even if that individual is experienced.
Having a Masters degree is something that will stay in a resume, the educational value you receive during a course of this calibre is specialised and an individual that undertakes this journey will be considered a specialist in this area. Additionally, a senior cyber security consultant can and will gain great value from a Master of Cyber Security because universities are now catering to the older more experienced professionals by creating shorter and more in-depth courses online. This field is in high demand and the pay that comes with it is just as rewarding. It has C-level rewards and the potential to be a leader in a profession that is becoming high value across all sectors.
Data is the phenomena of our current time, it is essentially the worlds new natural resource because it is transforming professions across all industries. Cyber security has moved to the forefront of all organisations, especially government agencies.