Wisconsin’s economy is based on agriculture, and it is the country’s second-largest dairy producer after California. However, Epic, a multinational corporation with a significant stake in cybersecurity, is headquartered in Wisconsin.
- Associate’s Degree Programs
- Certification Degree Programs
Epic is America’s top producer of EHR (Electronic Health Record) software, with over 10,000 workers and a headquarters in Verona, Wisconsin. Epic’s CEO, Judy Faulkner, recently claimed that the company now possesses more than half of all medical records in the United States.
That’s wonderful for their bottom line, but it also means Epic bears a significant amount of responsibility for keeping those information safe. Year after year, cybercrime has increased, and the healthcare business has not been spared.
For example, more than 30 million medical records were stolen in the first six months of 2019. This theft affects about one out of every 10 Americans, which is a startling figure. According to studies conducted by Protenus, an analytics business, a data breach occurs every day of the year on average.
Where do the records that have been stolen end up?
The dark web, where records are purchased and assembled into false identities that can be exploited in a variety of social engineering assaults.
Given the illegal use of medical records, it’s no surprise that companies like Epic have a legal obligation to preserve their clients’ medical records.
“Establishes national standards to protect individuals’ medical records and other personal health information,” according to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It covers all healthcare and health-plan providers, as well as healthcare clearinghouses and some electronic health-care transactions.”
These rules apply to Epic, and they must make every attempt to protect their data from cybercrime. That obligation lies squarely on the shoulders of the cybersecurity team within the firm.
While Wisconsin may not be Silicon Valley, Epic understands the need of staying safe when it comes to cybersecurity. This knowledge pervades the state as well.
Cybersecurity in Wisconsin
CypherCon is already in its sixth year in Wisconsin. The meeting brings together software developers and cybersecurity experts from throughout the country. Cybercrime prevention and ethical hacking to highlight security holes in system design are among the keynote themes.
In addition to speeches, CypherCon includes hands-on projects and activities that teach practical cybersecurity skills.
Furthermore, Wisconsin is becoming more conscious of the critical role that cybersecurity plays in election security. The Wisconsin Election Security Council is a newly founded organisation whose mission is to “identify methods to use current resources to enhance cyber security, improve connections, and collaborate with partners on security training programmes for state and local officials.”
Given the claims of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, it’s understandable that Wisconsin is concerned about electoral cybercrime.
Finally, Wisconsin encourages those who are interested to apply for the SFS (Scholarship for Service), which is “a one-of-a-kind programme designed to recruit and train the next generation of information technology professionals, industrial control system security professionals, and security managers.”
The scholarship will cover up to three years of undergraduate or graduate studies, with the condition that the graduate serve as a cybersecurity technician for the local or federal government. That’s a terrific value, especially because Wisconsin offers a variety of cybersecurity education programmes.
Cybersecurity Educational Opportunities in Wisconsin
The associate’s degree is the shortest and most affordable path to a career in cybersecurity. It gives the candidate a solid foundation in cybersecurity and equips them to deal with and address common risks.
The ability to apply credits acquired toward additional education, such as a bachelor’s degree, is a useful feature of the associate’s degree.
ASSOCIATE’S DEGREES
Campus-based cybersecurity associate’s degrees in Wisconsin
Wisconsin offers four different associate’s degrees on campus. Please consult the table below for more information on these degrees.
Cyberecurity Associate’s Programs in Wisconsin
| School | City | Program Website |
|---|---|---|
| Fox Valley Technical College | Appleton | Associate of Applied Science – Information Systems Security Specialist |
| Madison Area Technical College | Madison | Associate in Applied Science – IT Network Security Specialist |
| Milwaukee Area Technical College | Milwaukee | Associate in Applied Science – IT Information Systems Security Specialist |
| Waukesha County Technical College | Pewaukee | CAE2Y Cybersecurity |
BACHELOR’S DEGREES
A bachelor’s degree is the industry standard, and most cybersecurity jobs will require it as a basic minimum.
Depending on the university’s programme, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will be exposed to a wide range of disciplines ranging from computer science to algebra.
Campus-based cybersecurity bachelor’s degree in Wisconsin
In Wisconsin, there is only one campus-based bachelor’s degree programme.
A Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science with a Cyber Security Concentration is available at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
Online cybersecurity bachelor’s degree in Wisconsin
A bachelor’s degree can also be obtained online. An online degree can be less expensive than a campus-based programme and allows for more flexibility in scheduling.
Herzing University provides an online bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity.
MASTER’S DEGREE
For the ambitious cybersecurity technician, a master’s degree can open doors. Those with a master’s degree often make more money and may be eligible for greater job opportunities.
Campus-based cybersecurity master’s degrees in Wisconsin
In Wisconsin, there is currently only one master’s degree programme.
The Master of Science in Computing: Information Assurance and Cyber Defense is offered by Marquette University in Milwaukee.
CERTIFICATIONS
Certifications are useful for learning about particular skill sets within the cybersecurity field, as well as filling out a résumé. In general, the more certificates a person possesses, the more organisations will want to hire them.
Campus-based cybersecurity certification programmes
In Wisconsin, you can choose from a variety of certification alternatives. For more details, please see the table.
Cyberecurity Certification Programs in Wisconsin
| School | City | Program Website |
|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin-Parkside | Kenosha | Cyber Security Certificate |
| Waukesha County Technical College | Pewaukee | Cyber Security Specialist Certificate |
| Waukesha County Technical College | Pewaukee | Security Administrator Certificate |
| Waukesha County Technical College | Pewaukee | Technical Certificate in Cybersecurity |
Online cybersecurity certification programmes
There is also an online certification programme in Wisconsin.
An Information Technology – Information Security Certificate is available at Moraine Park Technical College.
Cybersecurity jobs in Wisconsin
There’s good news for anyone considering a career in cybersecurity in Wisconsin: there are more openings than applicants. According to CyberSeek, Wisconsin has a relatively limited supply of cybersecurity workers. There are roughly 5,000 job opportunities as of early 2020.
The majority of the job opportunities, almost half of them, are in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Wisconsin employs a total of 10,700 cybersecurity professionals.
The thousands of unfilled cybersecurity positions in Wisconsin reflect a national trend: an alarming shortage of cybersecurity technicians. Cybercrime is on the rise year after year, with studies estimating that a data breach costs an American corporation $8 million on average.
Companies from Milwaukee to Miami are ready to invest money to defend their systems because a cybersecurity technician’s compensation is a fraction of that expense. There has never been a better moment to be in the cybersecurity industry for job seekers.
Cybersecurity in Wisconsin
Despite the fact that Wisconsin is predominantly an agricultural state, Epic has a booming business that is required by law to protect client information.
However, the cybersecurity prospects aren’t limited to just one organisation. Wisconsin has demonstrated its forward thinking by hosting the CypherCon conference and recognising the need of cybersecurity in defending their diverse sectors.
It is possible to complete a whole cybersecurity education in state, from an associate’s degree to a master’s degree. There are hundreds of job positions to pick from after graduation, and given the increased amount of data breaches, it appears that the employment market will only continue to grow.
