Cloud Computing A Prominent Topic in Revamped Cybersecurity Courses

When the use of cloud computing was introduced to businesses in the mid-to-late 2000s, organizations didn’t understand its full potential.

A lot has changed in a short time.

“The cloud came on as a way to help companies share resources – IT and cyber resources – at a fraction of the cost of having to hire a full-time IT person to refresh and maintain infrastructure,” said Jayme Lara, CISSP, MS IS, a Villanova University adjunct professor who teaches the Mastering Cybersecurity/Security+ course.

“Cloud computing has taken the place of a larger IT team and what are called data centers, which are rooms with a bunch of servers in them that are costly to maintain,” Lara said.

Today, most businesses have or are investigating a relationship with cloud computing, she continued.

Cloud Computing Impact

Cloud computing has been discussed as a disruptive technology revolutionizing multiple industries including project management. The Project Management Institute’s in-depth Pulse of the Profession® report titled, “Next Practices: Maximizing the Benefits of Disruptive Technologies on Projects,” lists cloud solutions as the number one disruptive technology by total impact. According to report respondents, 84% of “innovators” said the cloud is providing their organization with a competitive advantage.

Cloud computing was also ranked as the number two hard skill companies will need in 2020, according to LinkedIn. Hard skills include technical abilities and specialized knowledge, and involve an individual’s ability to complete a task.

Cloud Computing Job Outlook

Use of the cloud allows for greater levels of collaboration and information access, which provides more focus on projects and customer issues. That may also mean more jobs for professionals with the proper training in cloud computing and other cybersecurity specialty areas.

Employment in computer and information technology, which includes cloud computing, is expected to grow by 12% between 2018 and 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).*

According to the BLS, approximately 546,200 new computer and information technology jobs are projected in the next decade due to a greater demand on cloud computing, information security and the gathering and storing of big data. Additionally, the BLS reported that the median annual wage for computer and information technology jobs was $86,320 in May 2018.

Common Uses of Cloud Computing

According to IBM, cloud computing has been credited with increasing competitiveness through cost savings, greater flexibility and optimizing resources.

The company offers a list of seven of the most common uses for cloud computing.

1. Infrastructure as a Service and Platform as a Service: Using an existing infrastructure saves money, according to IBM. With cloud computing, companies have a ready-to-use platform from which to deploy new applications.
2. Private Cloud and Hybrid Cloud: Organizations can use a private cloud to assess applications. A hybrid cloud can expand during periods of limited peak usage. Both are pay-as-you-go.
3. Testing and Development: The cloud offers readily available environments that combine automated provisioning of physical and virtualized resources.
4. Big Data Storage: Cloud computing gives organizations the ability to tap into huge quantities of both unstructured and structured data to extract business value, such as consumer shopping patterns.
5. Storage Space: Organizations can use the cloud to store data and retrieve it at any time, from anywhere.
6. Recovering from Disaster: Using the cloud for storage negates the need for using traditional disaster recovery sites.
7. Backing Up Data: The cloud allows companies to dispatch data to and from any location with no security, availability or capacity issues.

Cloud computing makes sense for businesses because data centers and server rooms are expensive and difficult to maintain, Lara said. “Plus, finding and keeping talent to perform those activities is always challenging.”

Lara believes the storing and sharing of information is the top use of cloud computing.

“Cloud computing uses economies of scale to make IT services cost effective,” she said. “While companies share servers, cloud technology has a lot of current and evolving security controls to keep data segregated. Sharing IT and cyber resources reduces cost and lessens the attack surface.

“Storing big data is also a hot topic today,” Lara added. “If you have a website that needs 24/7 availability – think global companies constantly taking orders and shipping out goods – that is where cloud computing excels.”

Advance Your Knowledge of Cloud Computing

The growth of cloud computing knowledge and skills is one of the factors in Villanova’s decision to revamp its Cybersecurity Certificate program.

The program equips IT professionals, those who aspire to transition into IT security or those who need to meet government requirements with techniques for assessing risks and safeguarding corporate data.

In addition, the program teaches students how to plan for unanticipated challenges and offers practical skills that can be used to protect an organization against security threats.

Information on cloud computing is taught in the required Essentials of Cybersecurity and Mastering Cybersecurity/Security+ courses, Lara said.

The courses utilize a combination of engaging live class sessions by subject matter experts such as Lara as well as interactive assignments and exercises to help students master the material and prepare for industry certification.

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*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Computer and Technology Occupations, on the internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/home.htm (visited Sept. 13, 2019).

National long-term projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions, and do not guarantee actual job growth. Information provided is not intended to represent a complete list of hiring companies or job titles, and program options do not guarantee career or salary outcomes. Students should conduct independent research for specific employment information.

Pulse of the Profession is a registered trademark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.