Nebraska, sometimes known as the Cornhusker State, has long been a significant agricultural asset for the United States. Its central location in the Great Plains, as well as wide swaths of flat land and gently sloping hills, make it ideal for farming and ranching. However, Nebraska has attracted a number of significant firms, many of which operate in industries that render them particularly vulnerable to cybercrime. The eastern part of Nebraska is home to the majority of the state’s money, as well as the majority of the state’s sensitive information. The largest centres for money and information are Omaha, Council Bluffs, and Lincoln, which are home to nearly all of Nebraska’s cybersecurity workforce. Outside of agriculture, companies in the insurance, financial services, transportation, information technology, telecommunications, and manufacturing industries are among the most important employers. Union Pacific Railroad, headquartered in Omaha, is one of the country’s largest transportation companies. TD Ameritrade, Valmont Industries, Ameritas Life Insurance Corp., and Gallup all have offices in Omaha. And, of course, the city has been home to the insurance company Mutual of Omaha since its inception. Warren Buffet, the CEO and creator of Berkshire Hathaway, is also based in Omaha and is one of the world’s wealthiest men. Cabela’s (an outdoor products business) and West Corporation are two more significant employers.
Cybersecurity Environment in Nebraska
Most people don’t equate a mostly agricultural economy with cybersecurity, but Nebraska isn’t falling behind when it comes to data security. The state government has joined a growing number of states that have hired a chief information officer (CIO), demonstrating its commitment to cybersecurity. The state government is being viewed as an enterprise, with its departments acting as clients, according to the office of the CIO. In this way, the CIO aspires to provide more efficient and effective information security services. NEbraskaCERT is a nonprofit organisation with two missions: to serve as a conduit for cybersecurity professionals and issues to share knowledge, and to do advanced research in the field of information security. Monthly Cyber Security Forums are held by the organisation to discuss hot information assurance topics and provide networking possibilities. It also offers weekly security professional training programmes, which are aimed to “assist qualified persons in gaining expertise in all of the common areas that are required to pass many of the current security professional exams.” The Omaha region’s economic structure also indicates that cybersecurity will be a vital component of the region’s success in the coming years. The cybersecurity job market isn’t huge by national measures, but it’s thriving and developing quickly on a local scale. Like most other regional marketplaces across the country and the world, demand for qualified professionals outnumbers supply.
Cybersecurity Degrees in Nebraska
Given Nebraska’s modest size and economy, it’s astonishing how many cybersecurity education programmes are already accessible for students and professionals. Bellevue University, in particular, has made a significant effort to providing a diverse range of high-quality degree and certification programmes with a variety of information security concentrations. The Center for Cybersecurity Education is one of only three centres of excellence at Bellevue University right now. The C&A Industries Intelligence Systems Lab, a new cybersecurity lab at the school, is designed to give students with a cutting-edge learning environment that mimics a security and network operations centre. The Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis (ISQA) Department at the University of Nebraska at Omaha is also significant. ISQA is a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing management information systems education. It provides undergraduate and graduate students a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in cybersecurity, as well as information assurance concentrations and certification programmes.
ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE
Because cybersecurity specialists are in such high demand, associate’s degrees in cybersecurity are still considered sufficient training for many entry-level information security professions. With limited resources and/or time, aspiring information security experts can enter the job market in a year or two and begin gathering expertise in the field. However, most cybersecurity careers now demand a bachelor’s degree. T
Online associate’s degrees in Nebraska
For the time being, associate’s degrees in cybersecurity are only available from Nebraska colleges that offer online programmes. For more details, see the table below.
BACHELOR’S DEGREE
Cybersecurity is a very technical and advanced field. As a result, most information security jobs now demand a bachelor’s degree as a minimum educational requirement. While degree majors might be in any technological field, such as STEM, a BS in cybersecurity will give individuals a distinct advantage in the job market. If you don’t want to get a cybersecurity degree, seek for programmes that offer cybersecurity paths.
Campus-based bachelor’s degrees in Nebraska
There is currently only one cybersecurity bachelor’s degree programme offered on campus at Nebraska colleges and institutions. A bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity is available from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Online bachelor’s degrees in Nebraska
Currently, Nebraska schools offer only one online bachelor’s degree programme, Bellevue University’s bachelor of science in cybersecurity.
MASTER’S DEGREE
As the cybersecurity sector evolves and becomes more sophisticated in terms of both sophistication and technological complexity, more firms are realising the need for dedicated managers to oversee their information security operations. A master’s degree in cybersecurity is currently required for many management-level information security professions. In addition, the sectors of cybersecurity education and research are quickly expanding. Organizations without the financial resources to staff their own cybersecurity operations are turning to cybersecurity consultants to coordinate and monitor their information security initiatives. Master’s degrees in cybersecurity are required or strongly recommended in all of these fields. To satisfy the demand, the number of MS programmes available is increasing.
Campus-based master’s degrees in Nebraska
There is currently only one campus-based cybersecurity master’s degree programme offered by Nebraska colleges and universities. A cybersecurity master’s degree programme has been designed at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Online master’s degrees in Nebraska
For master’s degrees in cybersecurity, Bellevue University currently offers three alternatives for online programmes. For more information, see the section below.
CERTIFICATIONS
Students and professionals of all degrees of expertise and situations can earn cybersecurity certificates. Introductory certification programmes are available for anyone interested in learning more about cybersecurity. Professionals in the field of information security who operate in a speciality capacity might attend certification courses to improve in their field. Those who want to get an advanced degree but don’t have the time can choose for degree certificates, which take a lot less time to complete than full degrees. Nebraska colleges, lead once again by the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Bellevue University, are now offering a fair range of cybersecurity certification programmes, both on-campus and online.
Campus-Based Cybersecurity Certifications in Nebraska
Three separate Nebraska schools offer three different campus-based cybersecurity certification programmes. More details can be found in the table below.
Online Cybersecurity Certifications in Nebraska
Online access is also provided for four cybersecurity certification programmes. The following are some of them:
Cybersecurity Jobs in Nebraska
Apart from agriculture, Nebraska’s economy is concentrated in and around Omaha, near the state’s eastern border. This regional concentration is reflected in the cybersecurity employment market. In the year ended September 2019, 6,939 persons were working in some area of cybersecurity, according to Cyberseek. In addition, there were 3,174 new job vacancies for information security positions. The great majority of those job advertisements were for Omaha-area occupations. The only other city experiencing considerable demand for cybersecurity workers was Lincoln, Nebraska, which is not distant from Omaha and saw 438 new job vacancies. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, security analysts in Nebraska earned an average hourly wage of $40.64 and an annual pay of $84,540 as of May 2018. These figures fall barely short of national averages. Nebraska, unsurprisingly, has a substantially lower cost of living than the typical US state, roughly 10% lower. The cost of living in Omaha is only slightly higher than in the rest of Nebraska.
Cybersecurity in Nebraska
The non-agricultural economy of Nebraska is concentrated in the eastern part of the state, primarily in the Omaha area. However, key industries like as transportation, insurance, and financial services are well-represented in this region. Companies in these industries are popular targets for cybercriminals, and as a result, cybersecurity personnel and services are in high demand. To meet the rapidly expanding demand for new information security specialists, educational institutions are jumping on board the cybersecurity bandwagon. Nebraska schools have created a strong range of degree and certification programmes in the field of information security despite the state’s tiny economic basis.
