How California is Paving the Way in Cyber Security Policy, Education, Jobs and More

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Today, cyber security threats are an ever present reality. Cyber crime is on the rise, estimated to cost the global economy $400 billion each year. And that number is growing. As a result, investment in cyber security policy and strategy has also skyrocketed with both the public and private sectors realizing the great risk cyber crime poses.

At the forefront of the cyber crime movement is California, where the Cyber Center of Excellence has been created and where investment in education, policy and jobs has been significant.

Cyber Center of Excellence (CCOE)

In San Diego, CA, where some of the largest Navy and Marine bases in the nation are located, as well as the United States Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), cyber security brings more than $1.5 billion into the local economy. In response to the urgency for increased cyber security education and talent and the growing need for collaboration between the public and private sector to fight cyber crime, the city has established a Cyber Center of Excellence (CCOE), a public-private partnership founded by a collection of world-class cyber companies with operations in San Diego.

The cyber center of excellence has one main goal: accelerate job and economic growth in the cyber community. The center aims to do this through creating new opportunities for businesses, attracting and nurturing cyber talent, and fostering cooperation throughout the cyber community. Additionally, the center offers research, reports, publications and a job board.

Cyber Security Education

California has recognized the dire need for cyber security professionals to fill the urgent demand in the field. With a severely deficient supply of qualified workers, the Cyber Center of Excellence has made it a priority to partner with universities throughout San Diego with the mission of attracting applicants to the field.

Due to the many military bases located in San Diego and the mecca of the tech industry—Silicon Valley—just a bit further north, California serves as a prime location for students looking to enter or advance in the field.

As Tom Clancy, chairman of Software San Diego, said to San Diego Business, “San Diego is very compelling to cybersecurity companies due to its incredible technical talent pool, and the close collaboration between industry and academia. We have an abundance of individuals with security clearances, universities with cutting-edge research and workforce training programs, and direct access to customers in healthcare, defense, mobile, finance and energy.”

Cyber Security Jobs in California

In 2014 there were 209,749 national job postings for cyber security professionals, according to Burning Glass Technologies. Perhaps not surprisingly, California, the tech capital of the world, had the most cyber security job postings of any state in the United States, with 28,744 total job postings for cyber security professionals.

Cybersecurity Job Postings by State
cyber security policyBurning Glass Technologies

Cyber Security Policy

Not only is California leading the way when it comes to education and jobs, but the state has also been a leader in passing cyber crime policy. In 2002, California passed the first Data Breach Notification Law policy, that requires companies who leak personal information to report that breach. Today, the majority of states have passed similar laws.

Just this fall, the California Electronic Privacy Act (CalECPA) was passed. The CalECPA says that California law enforcement agencies must receive a judicial warrant before searching email or other electronic data. The passage of this act was groundbreaking, said to be the most comprehensive digital privacy law in the country. What’s more, the law proves that while California is dedicated to protecting users information and data from cyber threats they are not going to compromise users privacy or hinder free speech while doing so.

Investment in Cyber Security

In response to the massive data breaches and cyber attacks that have occurred in recent years, large quantities of money are being invested in cybersecurity. Many start-ups have found their legs in Silicon Valley thanks to the venture capital that is flooding into businesses focused on building high tech defenses against cyber threats such as anti-virus, anti-spamming and anti-hacking software. According to Entrepreneur,

“Silicon Valley’s overall authority and dominance in the tech industry makes it a natural place for cyber-security startups to spring up. Corporations, military and government are turning to the area for protection from hackers and terrorists. In April, the Department of Defense announced partnership initiatives with Silicon Valley companies to prevent data breaches. Companies such as Cylance, Ionic Security and Symantec are headquartered in Silicon Valley.”

Overall, as reported by CB insight, funding for cyber security start-ups has been highest in California; “California has consistently been the state with the highest share of cybersecurity deals by a considerable margin, consistently accounting for around 45% of deal share for each of the past 5 years.”

cyber security policy

And in a Fortune article titled Cyber security investing grows, resilient to market turmoil, it was stated, “Given the demand from banks, retailers, government agencies and hospitals, worldwide spending on information security technology is expected to grow from about $77 billion this year to $108 billion in 2019, according to research firm Gartner.”

At the University of San Diego we offer a 100% online Master of Science in Cyber Security Operations and Leadership. To learn more about our nationally accredited program, visit our program page.

 

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