What Is Cybersecurity?
The U.S. Department of Defense defines Cybersecurity as "Prevention of damage to, protection of, and restoration of computers, electronic communications systems, electronic communications services, wire communication, and electronic communication, including information contained therein, to ensure its availability, integrity, authentication, confidentiality, and nonrepudiation."
But what does that really mean?
Cybersecurity is the protective software, hardware, and set of best practices used by IT professionals to guard everything from private data to physical servers and networks. Typical threats to cybersecurity include Malware, Viruses, Worms, Trojans, and Spyware. The steady occurrence of data breaches and attacks on sensitive and confidential information is making data protection a critical component of an organization's leadership and governance strategy. Naturally, it is a continuously growing field and demand for cybersecurity certified IT professionals makes the field an excellent choice whether you are a beginner or seasoned expert. Know the difference between Cybersecurity and Data Privacy in this free webinar.
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Why Get Cybersecurity Certifications?
For companies looking to bolster their team’s skill sets, information security training is a necessity. IT departments consistently endure the growing challenge of applying the best possible technology and practices to protect company information, and cybersecurity certifications ensure their employees are well-versed in the latest security best practices and know how to guard against attacks. As an IT professional, cybersecurity certifications also provide the tools you need to advance your IT career path. There is an imbalance between supply and demand in the cyber market. Holding certain certifications will give you significant advantages over other candidates when being considered for open job positions.
Check out our list of the Top 3 Cybersecurity Certifications in 2018.
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Cybersecurity for Beginners
Basic attacks such as phishing emails, hidden URLs, hidden attachments/files, and the like are simple to prevent once you know how. Often, end-users click the wrong link or open an email they shouldn't have, and this is where beginners in cybersecurity can make their mark. Learn about the Internet of Things Cybersecurity Path.
Getting certified proves your knowledge in cybersecurity right away. You can take a certification exam (even without work experience) making you much more desirable to employers and helping you immediately stand out from other job seekers! Certifications show employers that you’ve passed a tough exam based on internationally recognized standards, thus proving your competence and commitment to the industry. If you are looking to change your career, there's no better time to consider cybersecurity: U.S. businesses and government agencies are already spending billions of dollars each year to protect their data and assets from malicious attacks. With the demand for qualified security professionals soaring, certification is a logical way for you to verify your skills and get hired.
Learn about CompTIA Security+, the Foundational Entry Level Cybersecurity Certification.
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Cybersecurity for IT Professionals
Corporations are at ever more risk of severe data breaches, often resulting in huge monetary costs that could have been avoided. Given this reality, experienced IT professionals are given the opportunity to focus their skills away from traditional sysadmin and database admin roles toward proactive security and network defense. Watch Cybersecurity: From the Boardroom to the Frontline
Given the unique and constantly evolving nature of cybersecurity threats, even seasoned experts can benefit from certification. Certifications enable you to advance your skills and validate that you have the required knowledge in specific areas, regardless of the amount of topic-specific experience on your resume. Being certified also allows you to, in many cases, increase your income by commanding a higher salary as employers will take less risk in hiring you.
CASP is an Expert Level Certification for Advanced Practitioners.
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Cybersecurity for Veterans
Cybersecurity is not only a concern for corporations and private business. Government organizations are constantly preparing for the next threat to national security and that more and more frequently comes in the form of a hacking group or an internal data leak. If defending against threats both outside and in sounds right for you, the Security Professional Program may be just what you need to get started. To see how cybersecurity certifications can prepare you for the real demands on the field, read how specialist Ralph Lazaro transitioned from working for the military to a career in IT on the back of his in-demand CompTIA certifications.
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Today being security-aware is not something required only of IT and Cybersecurity Professionals. It is the responsibility of everything in an organization to have at minimum a foundational understanding of security issues and vulnerabilities. The New Horizons cybersecurity portfolio of courses is designed to provide security training no matter your level of experience or requisite need. Please click the buttons below to explore our interactive cybersecurity maps and find exactly the right training path for you!
What is NICE Framework?
The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) is a nationally coordinated effort focused on cybersecurity awareness, education, training, and professional development. Its goals are to encourage and help increase cybersecurity awareness and competence across the nation and to build an agile, highly skilled cybersecurity workforce capable of responding to a dynamic and rapidly evolving array of threats.
NICE has published the National Cybersecurity Workforce Framework ("the Framework") to provide a common understanding and lexicon for cybersecurity work that is to be used to describe all cybersecurity work and workers irrespective of where or for whom the work is performed. The Framework is intended to be applied in the public, private, and academic sectors. Discover more about the NICE Workforce Framework in this free webinar.
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What is NIST Framework?
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) created the NIST Cybersecurity Framework in response to Presidential Executive Order (EO) 13636, Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity. The Framework, developed in collaboration with industry, provides guidance to organizations to better manage and reduce cybersecurity risk. Discover more about the NIST Workforce Framework in this free webinar.
The NIST Cybersecurity Framework Core presents key cybersecurity outcomes identified by industry as helpful in managing cybersecurity risk. The Core comprises four elements: Functions, Categories, Subcategories, and Informative References. Learn more in the following video.
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