Cyber Security – What does it mean?

Cyber security is one of the fastest growing industries in Australia, which opens doors to more job opportunities. Job Outlook, an initiative of the Australian Government predicted that by 2022, there would be 41,000 jobs in this field. As the world becomes increasingly digitalised and connected, so does the threat of online crimes and national security breaches.

For many of us, digital technology is an essential part of daily life for communicating, working, online banking, reading the news, checking the weather, and staying in touch with friends and colleagues via social media. The increasing demand for protection and security against online crimes is critical for our individual safety, and for businesses and governments.

Cyber security is not a job, it is an industry that defines the technologies, processes and practices that are designed to defend against and recover from accidents like hard drive failures or power outages and to protect computer systems, networks, programs, and data from unauthorised access and cyberattacks.

So how do you get involved in this exciting and rapidly growing industry? The role of cyber security professionals is to detect breaches in networks and security systems, monitor risks, and mitigate cyberattacks and cybercrime. Cyber security professionals are employed in various industries including banking, security, information technology, government and telecommunications industries.

There are many common myths that are associated with choosing cyber security as a career, including:

• Technology is all about coding, maths and science.
  FACT: Technology is the application of techniques, skills, processes used to solve problems.
• Working in cyber security requires a university degree.
  FACT: You can study cyber security at a vocational tertiary education level at TAFE through accredited courses and short courses.
• Tech jobs are moving overseas.
  FACT: Technology jobs, particularly in cyber security, are in high demand in Australia due to the increase in cyber attacks and the need to protect data and devices.
• Cyber security is a government issue.
  FACT: Cyber attacks and online security breaches can affect anyone. Cyber attacks can target computer infrastructure systems, computer networks, and your personal computer.

There are many career outcomes from studying cyber security, including:

• Cyber Security Network Administrator: ensures all network and systems operate in line with industry standards.
• Security Penetration Tester: performs pen testing of a computer system or network to test the security by identifying any weaknesses or vulnerabilities.
• Security Analyst: identify and improve security measures to protect and safeguard computer networks and digital infrastructure.

Interested in pursuing cyber security as a career? Box Hill Institute offers accredited courses (Certificate IV in Cyber Security, Advanced Diploma of Cyber Security, Graduate Diploma of Cyber Security), and short courses for cyber security.

Cyber security is here to stay and the need for more information security experts is greater than ever. Now is the time for a rewarding career in cyber security.