We live in the digital age. It is the age of convenience. An age where you can easily access the internet Tv with available options like Frontier channel Lineup. All of the world’s information is swimming around on the internet. Some of it is open to everyone while some is encrypted, restricted or protected. Data is one of the most valuable assets in the modern day business world. Data can give any business the edge it needs over its competition. When there is something valuable, there are bound to be people who want to steal it. On the internet, we have cybercriminals looking for ways to steal, misuse or sell data that does not belong to them.
The Best Cybersecurity Courses in 2019
With so many threats on the internet, it literally pays to be prepared. Businesses pay good money to hire people with expertise in information security. During the course of their operations, businesses generate huge volumes of data. Many businesses also handle data of a sensitive nature. A good example is banks. Banks hold very sensitive information. Information like bank accounts, passwords, credit card details, credit ratings and much more.
Just imagine what a data breach would do to a bank’s operations and reputation. Hackers could potentially defraud the bank’s customers of millions of dollars. They could also use your credit information for extreme black market activities like terrorist funding or arms sales. The bank’s customers won’t be able to trust any financial institution ever again. You can see the picture quite clearly. A data breach, theft or loss can have disastrous consequences on any business.
Experts estimate each year businesses lose a global average of 3.86 million to data breaches! Let’s talk numbers for a second. The U.S. leads with the highest average cost of data breaches at $7.91 million. The mean time it takes businesses to discover and correct a breach is 197 days and 69 days respectively. The cost of an average cybersecurity system in the U.S. is close to $2.88 million. This is as per IBM’s 13th annual 2018 Cost of a Data Breach Study: Global Overview. That means cybersecurity solutions save businesses on average over $4 million in data breaches. You can see the importance of being cybersecurity professional. Here are 5 of the best cybersecurity courses you can find online:
- The Complete Cybersecurity Course for Beginners (Udemy)
- Cybersecurity Training for Business by University of Colorado (Coursera)
- The Complete CS Course: Network Security (Udemy)
- Cybersecurity Course by NYU (Coursera)
- Cybersecurity Certification by University of Maryland (Coursera)
Let’s discuss these courses and what they cover in detail below.
The Complete Cybersecurity Course for Beginners (Udemy)
This is one of the best courses out there for cybersecurity beginners. It thoroughly goes over the fundamentals and basics you need to know about cybersecurity. It will help you get an informed idea about cybersecurity vulnerabilities and threats. The course does this by using risk assessment and modeling exercises. The course starts right from the basics and gradually increases in complexity. By the end of it, you will know a lot about data security, system security and protecting your digital identity. This course works well for students with varying levels of experience. It contains several interesting crash courses on encryption as well as risk mitigation. The 123-lecture course is available on Udemy at a very reasonable price.
Introduction To Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity Training for Business by University of Colorado (Coursera)
It is even more important for businesses to protect themselves against data breaches than individuals. This is where this course by the University of Colorado is a great cybersecurity course to pursue. It specializes in learning how to protect large and small businesses from cyber attacks and threats. It covers computer security, identifying potential threats, and protecting sensitive data. The course also comes with a project to give you hands-on cybersecurity experience. This 105-lecture course is part of a larger program on Coursera but you can opt for it individually.
The Complete CS Course: Network Security (Udemy)
This is another stellar course that you can easily find on Udemy at an affordable price. The course focuses primarily on network security. It will teach you how to identify and deal with threats to an entire network. It does this by teaching techniques like scanning for vulnerabilities. The course will also offer in-depth knowledge of monitoring networks. It also covers wireless security and firewalls. The course will teach you how to protect your privacy from common search engines as well. The course comprises of 105 lectures with lifetime access to course content.
Network Security
Cybersecurity Course by NYU (Coursera)
NYU offers this extensive course on modern-day information and system security standards. The course is great for beginners as it gradually increases in complexity. You don’t need any prior experience in the field of cybersecurity to enroll in this course. It covers threat mitigation as well as real-time detection methods. The course also carries a certification from the Tandon School of Engineering, NYU.
Cybersecurity Certification by University of Maryland (Coursera)
This course, offered the University of Maryland on Coursera, has 5 sub-courses. It starts off by covering the basic fundamentals and building the concept of cybersecurity. It also covers the different types of cyber threats businesses face. In addition, the course includes modern techniques to counter cybersecurity threats. The sub-courses in this course include:
- Usable security
- Software security
- Hardware Security
- Cryptography
- Final project
This is an intermediate level course. This means any experience you have of cybersecurity will come in handy.
With the internet, there is absolutely no limit on how much you can educate yourself. All you need for these courses are the course fee and an internet connection that isn’t prone to dropping. I find my Frontier HBO Channel can do most of the heavy lifting with my online courses. Keep learning and adding to your skill sets as you explore more information. Knowledge is power, and the internet will open the doors for just about everyone willing to learn.
