As IT security breaches continue to make headlines, companies are focused on hiring employees with in-demand certifications as proof that they have the proper training to do the job.

IT Security jobs on the rise

Demand for IT Security analysts is expected to be very high. Analysts will be needed to come up with innovative ways to prevent hackers from stealing critical information or creating havoc on computer networks. The federal government is expected to greatly increase its employment of IT Security analysts to protect the nation’s critical information technology systems. In addition, the health care industry will need greater technology security as the industry moves toward using more electronic records.

Our 18-credit-hour Cybersecurity Certificate prepares you for the CompTIA Security+™ Certification. This certificate transfers to our 63-credit-hour IT Security A.S. degree, which transfers to our bachelor’s degree in Technology Development and Management.

SPC faculty earns new IT Security Certification

Ryan Irving, an IT Security Manager for Hillsborough County Government, brings his professional IT Security experience and a long list of industry certifications to SPC where he also teaches as an adjunct professor for the College of Computer Information Technology. This fall he is teaching a variety of classes including:

• Incident Response and Disaster Recovery
• Network Defense/Countermeasures

Recently he earned his third security certification from Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC). GIAC provides information technology security and forensics certifications for IT managers and professionals. Earlier this year he attended SANS Orlando in March, and took their Advanced Forensics and Incident Response Course, which prepared him to successfully pass the GIAC Certified Forensic Analyst (GCFA) certification.

The last day of class is a challenge and competition among the rest of the class. His team was the victor in the Incident Response Challenge. They were presented with a scenario of activities and had questions to answer based on the incident. By the end of the deadline they had to submit their findings and presentation for review, and were selected as one of three groups to present, and we were selected the best.

As a leader in the digital forensics profession and community, Irving was also award the SANS Lethal Forensicator coin, a coveted IT Security prize.