College program on front line of cyberspace security

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Whether you're a student, business professional or retiree, life without computers and such electronic devices as PDAs and cell phones has become almost unimaginable. With increasing reliance on personal computers (and the new ways in which people are finding to use and abuse them) comes greater risk in the way that electronic data is stored and handled.

Computer and information security is now a major concern in all corners of the world, says Douglas Burton, Co-ordinator of Georgian College's Computer and Network Systems Security program.

"With industry's increasing dependence on e-commerce and the number of global Internet users more than doubling annually in the past few years, information officers and technology managers in charge of implementing safety controls will increasingly require computer professionals to act as a central point of contact on such collateral issues," says Burton.

Global demand for computer security professionals

According to a report by the Computer Industry Almanac, nearly 43 per cent of Canadians access the World Wide Web, making Canada the leading country for Internet use. And with worldwide demand for professionals capable of providing computer and network systems security on the rise, Georgian's CNSS program is attracting the attention of domestic and international students from such areas as computer studies and law and justice. It also appeals to those applicants who have either graduated from or have worked in network administration and want to go from merely administering a network to protecting a system.

When Kamlesh Chandra (Class of 2006) was looking to pursue ongoing education in the IT industry, he "googled" cyberspace security from his home in New Delhi, India, and found that Georgian's CNSS program was the only one of its kind and calibre in Canada and the U.S. He says both the opportunity to combine high-tech policing with hands-on learning and the program's strong word-of-mouth reputation abroad secured his decision to apply.

"The curriculum focuses on gaining the skills needed to pursue professional opportunities and management positions while combining hands-on learning with a strong combination of theory and practical applications," says Chandra.

Chandra had multiple job offers upon graduation and settled into a job at Hewlett Packard just two months after graduation.

International students Thiagarajan (Sam) Gouindaraj and Jaspreet Wander (inset) found out about Georgian's CNSS program through Internet research and word-of-mouth. Interest in the growing cyberspace security industry is so strong that many international students arrive at the College's Barrie Campus sight unseen, banking on the program's reputation as the best of its kind and calibre in Canada . . . and beyond.

Secure a career in a high-tech, high-demand industry

Cyberspace security is a large growth industry. Canada alone spends about $2.6 billion a year on network systems security and that number is expected to more than double over the next five years. With more jobs that graduates, students are essentially guaranteed to move from their co-operative work placements into full-time employment, says Burton.

"Industry is snapping up our students as soon as or even before they graduate," says Burton. "Six CNSS grads have been recruited to work at an elite data protection branch of the Canadian government while others have been interviewed by such intelligence agencies as CSE (Communications Security Establishment) and other U.S.-based and international security bureaus."

In the past two years alone, the Corporate Security Branch, Ontario Ministry of Government Services, has hired four Georgian College graduates as permanent employees and has four more on contract until permanent positions become available. CNSS also receives program support from such companies as Research in Motion (RIM), the Bank of Montreal and other heavy industry hitters. Jobs in computer and network systems security run the gamut from the specific to the nebulous and include everything from child protection, organized crime, private security and investigation, industrial espionage to cyber bullying, extortion, identity theft and e-commerce fraud.

The average salary for a graduate entering the workforce for the first time is $44 per hour, while the mean income for students in co-operative work placements is $22 per hour (2007 CDN rates).