Learning and Development Plan For Cloud Security Information 2022

Learning and Development Plan 1
Learning and Development Plan
By (Student’s Name)
Name of the course
Instructor’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Department
Date

Learning and Development Plan 2
Introduction
My career goal is to become an expert in cyber security. Almost every company
around the globe requires experts in the area of Information and communication technology.
It is estimated that since 2011, the amount of data that businesses have had to deal with has
been doubling every 40 months (Dua and Du, 2016). This phenomenon has given rise to the
area of big data analytics. Whenever such vast amounts of information are being exchanged,
security becomes an important component. My career aim is to become a cyber security
expert. The main role of such an expert is to ensure that data is protected from various kinds
of threats such as illegal access. In the modern days, it is very easy to learn online. I have
been learning various cyber security skills online. Although, I am not yet a professional when
it comes to this area, I am doing my best to ensure that I gain all the appropriate skills to
become a cyber security expert. These experts are in high demand across the globe (Fielder et
al, 2016). Since I am passionate about Information Technology and Cybersecurity, I will
leave no stone unturned to ensure that I become a professional in this area. Currently, I am
undertaking a Masters of Business and Project. There are many skills that I have gained in
this course that will help me become a better manger at my cyber security career.
Particularly, the leadership and professional ethics that I am learning in this course will come
in handy to help me become a better security expert. Leadership skills are very important for
any person who wishes to become successful in their career (Swierstra, 2017). I appreciate
that I will have to interact with various people in the journey of my career. To be able to
interact with them well, it is important to establish an elaborate and explicit learning and
development plan. In addition, it is important to analyse my strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats. A SWOT analysis is important in helping discover the strong areas
and those that need improvement.

Learning and Development Plan 3
Megatrends and Challenges in Cyber Security
There have been various trends in the field of cyber security in the last few years.
First, data breaches have become a major security concern both locally and internationally.
Due to increased data breaches, companies and other organization have has to rethink their
planning concerning management of data (Hubbard and Seiersen, 2016). The focus has been
on ensuring that there are mechanisms in place to ensure that security of personal data is
maintained. Data breaches may lead to great losses while it may portray the image of
companies or organizations in negative light (Tavani, 2016). Flaws in web application apps
has been identified as the major source of security breaches (Kreutzer, Neugebauer and
Pattloch, 2017). Consequently, ensuring that there are no such flaws has become one of the
top priorities for most organizations.
In the last few years, a growing need for cyber security professionals has been a major
trend. This need is being experienced both locally and internationally. For instance, it is
estimated that Australia will need an additional 18000 cyber security experts by the year 2026
(McCormac et al, 2017). At both the local and international arena, the demand for cyber
security experts is more than the supply (Zhu et al, 2017). It is worrying that there are not
enough cyber security professionals in the wake of increased threats for data breaches and
cybercrimes (Putra and Cho, 2019). It is estimated that as many as 2 in every 3 organizations
in the world have a shortage of IT security staff (Newhouse et al, 2016). The shortage has led
to deployment of automated online security tools in most organizations to ensure that data is
protected (Marchewka, 2016). Therefore, as a far as competition is concerned, a cyber
security expert with the appropriate competencies is unlikely to be competing for a job.
Cloud security is another trending issue in the cyber security profession. It is
important to note that most businesses are transferring most of their data to cloud storage

Learning and Development Plan 4
(Steinhouse, 2017). Cloud storage offers great amounts of data storage and is less costly that
the traditional methods of data storage (Mikolic et al 2017). With cloud storage, companies
can store data in terabytes and exabytes. However, with the implementation of cloud storage,
it has become increasingly important to ensure that there are new approaches to ensure data
security (Winch 2020). Cloud storage poses relatively new challenges and it is important to
for organizations to have cyber security experts to help ensure that data breaches are
minimised or completely eradicated (Schneider and Gersting, 2018). In the light of this, it
would be true to conclude that investment in cloud storage comes with subsequent investment
in cyber security expertise.
There has been an increase in the awareness of importance of cyber security. With
immense digital transformation in most industries, both locally and internationally, there has
been an increased awareness in the important role of cyber security (Gupta, Agrawal and
Yamaguchi, 2016). Businesses, both small and large have appreciated that employing cyber
security professionals is not important but vital in the success of their businesses (Peterson,
2017). Technological advancements are taking place at an unprecedent rate (Vallor, Green
and Raicu, 2018). Therefore, businesses have to adapt to these changes if they are to remain
relevant and competitive. The cost of employing cyber security experts is less compared to
the threat that exists if there are no such professionals in organizations (Peterson, 2018). This
phenomenon could help explain why there is a high demand for cyber security professionals.
Lastly, mobile devices have become a major cyber security risk. The number of
people who use mobile phones has been increasing and projected to continue increasing. This
increase has been observed both at the local level and around the globe. The rise of the
number of mobile phones has led to a consequent increase in the amount of business
information stored in the devices. Consequently, there has been increased malware attacks
targeting mobile phone which could put both business and personal data at risk of being