04. Welcome to the Nanodegree!

Welcome to the Introduction to Cybersecurity Nanodegree Program! My name is Alison Rodal, and I worked with a talented team of cybersecurity experts and curriculum designers to put this program together. We are excited to have you join us!

Why Cybersecurity? Technology use is more advanced and more widespread than ever before with the rise of smartphones, connected devices, cloud services, video conference calls, and enormous amounts of data accessible from seemingly everywhere. This rise in technology use brings with it a rise in security and data breaches. The global average cost of a data breach to a company is $3.9 million, and in the United States alone it rises to $8 million; ransomware attacks grow at an annual rate of 350%. The damage caused by breaches, and the resources to prevent them is top of mind for any organization.

In this Nanodegree program, you will be introduced to the skills necessary to launch your cybersecurity career and play a critical role in protecting a company’s data and infrastructure. Companies today are seeking cybersecurity professionals who can assess threats, respond to incidents, and implement security controls at such high volume that employers are struggling to find workers to fill the roles. The demand for security professionals is growing by over 30% and according to the 2019 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, there will be 3 million unfilled jobs in the field by 2022. Roles such as security analyst, security engineer, and cybersecurity manager lead the pack as the most in demand roles according to the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE). There is no better time than now to meet the demand for cybersecurity professionals and we are excited to help you achieve your goals!

Through interactive lesson content, exercises, and hands-on projects, you will apply your new skills, and respond to actual scenarios that demonstrate your expertise in fundamental security tasks. You will learn how to evaluate specific industry standard security techniques used to administer a system, maintain the security of a network, computing environment or application, and apply control techniques to secure a computer system. You will also conduct a threat assessment and create a compliance program designed to reduce risk and secure the assets of an organization. These skills will set you up to begin your career as a cybersecurity professional. You will learn from some of the top professionals in the industry who have consulted numerous companies on implementing and improving security architecture, led threat hunting and incident response tactics, oversaw cybersecurity functions within Fortune 100 companies, and helped enterprises navigate compliance and regulatory requirements.

Every project you submit gets reviewed, and our project reviewers will provide personalized feedback on how you can improve your work. By completing this program, you will launch your career as a cybersecurity professional and be prepared for the next step in your journey. We are excited and honored that you are taking this step with us!