If we could easily see all the cyberattacks occurring every day, alarm bells would ring in every home, hospital, business, and organization. It is the aim of the cybersecurity industry to silence those alarms, but it is a daunting task. That’s one reason why understanding the basics of cybersecurity is one of the most critical tasks for business managers, governments, utilities, healthcare administrators, academia, and individuals.

Our hyperconnected world, the exponentially rising number of data breaches, and the persistent technical and human vulnerabilities of our networks all combine to form a multivector global threat.

According to TechJury, in 2020 alone, 30,000 websites were hacked every day. Every 30 seconds, there is a new attack somewhere on the web. With each passing second, 75 records go missing. An astonishing 94 percent of malware spreads through email.

If you have an email account, a website, or a networked database, someone is trying to break in. If not now, then soon.

The cybersecurity industry is the front line of defense in the battle to keep our digital world safe. But keeping pace with the increasing barrage of attacks requires more skilled experts in the field. Furthermore, cybercrime is a moving target. Threats continually evolve as our online behavior changes.

The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the massive shift to remote work offer clear examples of how cybercriminals exploit fast-moving vulnerabilities.

Even with more people entering the field than ever, there remains a need for skilled, well-trained cybersecurity professionals.

The Kelley School of Business offers a path for mastering cybersecurity technology, policy, law, and ethics.

Cybersecurity Basics: Earn Your Digital Badge

Earning a digital badge is the perfect vehicle for busy professionals to learn specific, in-demand skills. The Global Cybersecurity Foundations: Cybersecurity 101 for Managers and Directors digital badge is an entry into professional cybersecurity basics. Offered by the Kelley School of Business, the program focuses on developing cybersecurity literacy as a value-added career proposition for your business or employer.

Participants completing the program have a toolbox of skills and a thorough grounding in cybersecurity best practices for managing cyber risk exposure.

The Global Cybersecurity Foundation digital badge provides a solid foundation in the following:

  • Threat awareness: Understand the multifaceted nature of the threats businesses face.
  • Law: Get an introduction to the most consequential aspects of US cybersecurity law and policy.
  • Current and future regulatory and policy issues: Know the important issues, debates, and policy proposals in cybersecurity. Examine the role of government in safeguarding critical infrastructure, the pros and cons of cyber risk insurance, and how internet governance impacts the C-suite.
  • Global context: Cyber risk is a borderless threat. Place US efforts to strengthen cybersecurity in a global context. Understand how other jurisdictions regulate cybersecurity.

The digital badge will help you develop the knowledge and skills to work collaboratively toward cybersecurity solutions. Participation allows you to add to your skill set and test-drive your interest in furthering your professional cybersecurity expertise. Over the course of ten weeks, students attend weekly live sessions with supplementary reading assignments and asynchronous forum discussions.

Stackable Credentials: Work Toward Your Cybersecurity Degree

For an additional fee, digital badge earners have the option to take the Assurance of Learning exam worth 3 credits. These credits can be applied to the Kelley School of Business Executive Degree Programs (EDP) Cybersecurity Management graduate certificate. The graduate certificate program is a 12-credit hour graduate program that provides a deep dive into the most critical areas of expertise sought by recruiters.

Once the additional 9 credit hours have been earned in the EDP Cybersecurity Management graduate certificate, the 12 total credit hours from the graduate certificate can be applied to the online MS in Cybersecurity Risk Management degree program at Indiana University.

At every stage, from a digital badge to a master’s degree, the Kelley School of Business and Indiana University provide the path to cybersecurity competence, confidence, and expertise. Enhance your current role or launch a new career.