Cybersecurity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cybersecurity - Essay Example According to the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies, NICCS (2013), this initiative also covers the private sector, students from primary to university level and the workforce in general. NICE framework gives a standardized working taxonomy that fits into the occupational structure of an organization. The framework gives seven categories of jobs sharing common functions (Jackson, 2011). ‘Securely’ provides for conceptualization, designing and building secure IT systems. The administration, maintenance and support for performance and security would be covered under ‘operate and maintain.’ ‘Protect and defend’ ensures that threats get identified, analyzed and mitigated. The framework also provides for the ‘investigation’ of breaches, crimes and incidents. Under ‘operate and collect,’ intelligence would be developed from cybersecurity information. The ‘analyze’ arm of the framework encompasses reviewing and evaluating incoming information so as to evaluate how useful it would be for intelligence. Finally, the framework offers ‘support’ to other parties undertaking cybersecurity tas ks. Therefore, this framework provides a standard approach that baselines capabilities, identifies the gaps in skills, develops cybersecurity talent in organizations and prepares for future talent. The NICE initiative is an important component of organizations based on the key findings on cybercrime survey in the US by Price Waterhouse Coopers, PWC (2013). The survey indicates that organizational leaders do not know those responsible for the cybersecurity of their organizations. In case of an attack, such organizations would find it difficult to identify those responsible. The NICE initiative serves the important role of ensuring organizations have cybersecurity workers and defining cybersecurity professional requirements. Secondly, many leaders still underestimate the capabilities of their cyber-adversaries and the associated possible reputational, financial and regulatory risks. NICE raises awareness on the risks involved in online activities, hence informing such leaders appropri ately. Finally, through expanding social collaborations, use of mobile devices and adoption of cloud computing, leaders unknowingly increase their vulnerabilities to digital attacks. Through broadening of the pool of support workers in cybersecurity and developing and maintaining an internationally competitive cybersecurity workforce, the NICE initiative ensures that organizations adopt emerging technologies without compromising the security of their information. Led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, the NICE initiative anticipates raising a cybersecure public and an internationally acclaimed cybersecurity workforce (Bullock, Haddow, & Coppola, 2013). Thus, it aims at making resources for educating and training on the improvement of cyber skills, knowledge and behavior available to all the population segments so as to make the American public aware of the risks associated with online activities. It seeks to bring forth a secure digital nation that would ad vance the economic prosperity of America and its national security