Chief Security Officer (CSO) Career Guide

 Chief Security Officer (CSO) Career Guide

As the global business environment becomes increasingly complex, organizations around the world face internal and external security threats that can pose significant obstacles to operations, earnings and customer goodwill. To counter these threats, corporate security experts are ever more in demand. Many organizations have established the role of chief security officer to lead efforts in fighting security breaches that could potentially cause significant losses. According to national data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in 2011, employment growth for security managers is projected to increase by as much as 13% through 2018 *.

What is a Chief Security Officer?

In many organizations, the chief security officer (CSO) position is a fluid one, with evolving responsibilities defined by the company’s needs. In general, these accomplished professionals lead security efforts related to sensitive information and data. They are responsible for setting the procedures, guidelines and direction for information security policies that are meant to protect organizational assets from internal as well as external threats – from employees and vendors to cyber criminals and hackers. Some CSOs are also responsible for the physical security of employees and facilities.

The Importance of a Chief Security Officer

Businesses must be able to utilize and share information, while at the same time keeping it safe. Few can afford the monetary losses or interruption to operations caused by security breaches. They depend on chief security officers to stay ahead of security issues, solve problems and ensure the organization is running smoothly. Proactive CSOs identify risks and eliminate them before they become an issue, instead of reacting to security breaches – saving time, effort, money and goodwill. In addition, federal and other regulations have compelled many businesses to implement safeguards and reporting mechanisms that require the expertise of chief security officers.
Chief security officers perform duties ranging from planning and coordinating an organization’s information security policies, to developing and implementing security solutions, as dictated by a rapidly changing business environment. These professionals also monitor systems to safeguard information and technology infrastructure, while allowing access to authorized users.
Additional duties may include training staff in security procedures, hiring and managing security staff, and supporting an organization’s risk management, disaster recovery and business continuity efforts.

Where Can I Find Jobs as a Chief Security Officer?

Businesses across the globe are finding value in the role of chief security officer. Aspiring CSOs may find employment opportunities in industries such as financial services, information technology services, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, consulting, education, government contracting or with military organizations.

Education Preparation for Chief Security Officer Jobs

The education and expertise required to land a chief security officer job are usually accrued through formal education and work experience. This senior-level position takes extensive knowledge of IT security technology, architecture, networks and systems infrastructure, as well as a highly developed leadership and management ability. Specific qualifications for CSO positions will vary according to the employer’s needs.

• Associate’s Degree: The path to a corporate security career could begin by earning a two-year associate’s degree and landing an entry-level IT job. With experience and additional education, you may find opportunities for advancement. Most mid-level security positions will require at least a bachelor’s degree.
• Bachelor’s Degree: For many IT security positions, employers will generally require at least a four-year bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, engineering or a related discipline. Many also require industry certifications and work experience. 
• Master’s Degree: Landing a CSO position may require an advanced degree, as well as extensive work experience. Employers may show preference to candidates holding a Master of Science in Information Assurance & Cyber security. An advanced degree typically takes an additional one to two years beyond the bachelor’s level.

Potential employers may also seek candidates with professional training, industry certifications or related higher education certificates, such as a graduate degree or For-Credit Graduate Certificate in Information Assurance and Cyber security. Some government and military employers will require security clearances and additional certifications.

Other Qualifications and Advancement

A successful chief security officer will be intelligent and driven, with effective interpersonal skills, a strong foundation of business knowledge and a combination of in-demand expertise, including:

• Strong written and verbal communication ability.
• The ability to collaborate and build consensus across departments and among stakeholders.
• Experience with a wide range of relevant systems, and security monitoring and detection tools.
• Extensive ability to plan, design, develop, test, implement and monitor IT security systems.
• Strong leadership, negotiation and persuasion ability.

Maintaining a high level of expertise is vital for success and advancement. Continuing education may lead to CSO positions in larger or more prestigious firms.

Chief Security Officer Potential Salary

According to a 2010 national survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor, the median annual salary for security managers was $96,450. Because salary potential may vary depending on location, education, experience and other factors, prospective students are encouraged to conduct independent research to determine actual earning potential.

The Path to a Chief Security Officer Career

If you’re interested in cyber security, results-oriented and driven to succeed, you could aspire to the position of chief security officer. Start with this career guide to help you plan the education and experience you’ll need to work your way into this exciting and challenging career.

What is the difference between 2G, 3G, 4G, mobile networks?

G in 2G, 3G and 4G stands for the “Generation” of the mobile network. Today, mobile operators have started offering 4G services in the country. A higher number before the ‘G’ means more power to send out and receive more information and therefore the ability to achieve a higher efficiency through the wireless network.

Understanding the mobile networks:

As the name would suggest, 1G was the first generation of mobile networks. Here basically, radio signals were transmitted in ‘Analogue’ form and expectedly, one was not able to do much other than sending text messaging and making calls. But the biggest disadvantage, however came in the form of limited network availability, as in the network was available only within the country.

2G networks on the other hand, were based on narrow band digital networks. Signals were transmitted in the digital format and this dramatically improved the quality of calls and also reduced the complexity of data transmission. The other advantage of the 2G network came in the form of Semi Global Roaming System, which enabled the connectivity all over the world.

Between 2G and 3G there was a short phase in between where mobile phones became sleeker and more ‘pocketable’ if we can call it that.  This is popularly referred to as 2.5G where the quantity of radio waves to be transmitted was much lower. This in turn had an effect on the shape and structure of mobile phones. But most of all, 2.5G helped in the ushering of GPRS (General Pocket Radio Service).

The 3rd generation of mobile networks has become popular largely thanks to the ability of users to access the Internet over devices like mobiles and tablets. The speed of data transmission on a 3G network ranges between 384KBPS to 2MBPS. This means a 3G network actually allows for more data transmission and therefore the network enables voice and video calling, file transmission, internet surfing, online TV, view high definition videos, play games and much more.  3G is the best option for users who need to always stay connected to Internet.

4th Generation mobile networks are believed to provide many value added features. In addition to all the 3G facilities, data transmission is believed to go through the roof with speeds ranging between 100MBPs to 1GBPS. Phew! Happy talking, surfing, conferencing, chatting, networking, partying, or whatever you want to do on your mobile phone.

More than just Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella: Indians now the biggest power players in silicon valley

http://www.firstpost.com/business/more-than-just-sundar-pichai-and-satya-nadella-indians-now-the-biggest-power-players-in-silicon-valley-2387058.html

What is WiMAX ?

WiMAX is one of the hottest broadband wireless technologies around today. WiMAX systems are expected to deliver broadband access services to residential and enterprise customers in an economical way.
Loosely, WiMax is a standardized wireless version of Ethernet intended primarily as an alternative to wire technologies (such as Cable Modems, DSL and T1/E1 links) to provide broadband access to customer premises.
More strictly, WiMAX is an industry trade organization formed by leading communications, component and equipment companies to promote and certify compatibility and interoperability of broadband wireless access equipment that conforms to the IEEE 802.16 and ETSI HIPERMAN standards.
WiMAX would operate similar to WiFi but at higher speeds over greater distances and for a greater number of users. WiMAX has the ability to provide service even in areas that are difficult for wired infrastructure to reach and the ability to overcome the physical limitations of traditional wired infrastructure.
WiMAX was formed in April 2001, in anticipation of the publication of the original 10-66 GHz IEEE 802.16 specifications. WiMAX is to 802.16 as the WiFi Alliance is to 802.11.
WiMAX is:

• Acronym for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access.
  
• Based on Wireless MAN technology.
  
• A wireless technology optimized for the delivery of IP centric services over a wide area.
  
• A scaleable wireless platform for constructing alternative and complementary broadband networks.
  
• A certification that denotes interoperability of equipment built to the IEEE 802.16 or compatible standard. The IEEE 802.16 Working Group develops standards that address two types of usage models:
  
  • A fixed usage model (IEEE 802.16-2004).
  • A portable usage model (IEEE 802.16e).

What is 802.16a ?

WiMAX is such an easy term that people tend to use it for the 802.16 standards and technology themselves, although strictly it applies only to systems that meet specific conformance criteria laid down by the WiMAX Forum.
The 802.16a standard for 2-11 GHz is a wireless metropolitan area network (MAN) technology that will provide broadband wireless connectivity to Fixed, Portable and Nomadic devices.
It can be used to connect 802.11 hot spots to the Internet, provide campus connectivity, and provide a wireless alternative to cable and DSL for last mile broadband access.

WiMax Speed and Range:

WiMAX is expected to offer initially up to about 40 Mbps capacity per wireless channel for both fixed and portable applications, depending on the particular technical configuration chosen, enough to support hundreds of businesses with T-1 speed connectivity and thousands of residences with DSL speed connectivity. WiMAX can support voice and video as well as Internet data.
WiMax will be to provide wireless broadband access to buildings, either in competition to existing wired networks or alone in currently unserved rural or thinly populated areas. It can also be used to connect WLAN hotspots to the Internet. WiMAX is also intended to provide broadband connectivity to mobile devices. It would not be as fast as in these fixed applications, but expectations are for about 15 Mbps capacity in a 3 km cell coverage area.
With WiMAX users could really cut free from today's Internet access arrangements and be able to go online at broadband speeds, almost wherever they like from within a MetroZone.
WiMAX could potentially be deployed in a variety of spectrum bands: 2.3GHz, 2.5GHz, 3.5GHz, and 5.8GHz

Why WiMax ?

• WiMAX can satisfy a variety of access needs. Potential applications include extending broadband capabilities to bring them closer to subscribers, filling gaps in cable, DSL and T1 services, WiFi and cellular backhaul, providing last-100 meter access from fibre to the curb and giving service providers another cost-effective option for supporting broadband services.
  
• WiMAX can support very high bandwidth solutions where large spectrum deployments (i.e. >10 MHz) are desired using existing infrastructure keeping costs down while delivering the bandwidth needed to support a full range of high-value multimedia services.
  
• WiMAX can help service providers meet many of the challenges they face due to increasing customer demands without discarding their existing infrastructure investments because it has the ability to seamlessly interoperate across various network types.
  
• WiMAX can provide wide area coverage and quality of service capabilities for applications ranging from real-time delay-sensitive voice-over-IP (VoIP) to real-time streaming video and non-real-time downloads, ensuring that subscribers obtain the performance they expect for all types of communications.
  
• WiMAX, which is an IP-based wireless broadband technology, can be integrated into both wide-area third-generation (3G) mobile and wireless and wireline networks allowing it to become part of a seamless anytime, anywhere broadband access solution.

Ultimately, WiMAX is intended to serve as the next step in the evolution of 3G mobile phones, via a potential combination of WiMAX and CDMA standards called 4G.

WiMAX Goals:

A standard by itself is not enough to enable mass adoption. WiMAX has stepped forward to help solve barriers to adoption, such as interoperability and cost of deployment. WiMAX will help ignite the wireless MAN industry by defining and conducting interoperability testing and labeling vendor systems with a "WiMAX Certified™" label once testing has been completed successfully.

Top 10 Tips on Getting that Scholarship

Many of you will rely on some financial support to pay for your international education. For some, a scholarship could mean the difference between studying… and not studying. For others, it just helps with the cost of living, and also provides a bit extra to enjoy student life.

There are many scholarships available, and not all of them require you to prove you’re the most academically gifted person on earth. But they are incredibly competitive. So how do you make sure you get the scholarship or bursary you deserve?

1. You usually can’t apply for a scholarship until you have been accepted into the course

This may seem like it’s the wrong way around, but you do need to know you can pay your tuition fees and travel expenses without a scholarship. That way, if you do win a grant, you can pay back your local bank loan or have a bit of extra spending money.

2. It’s not going to cover everything

Repeat after me… you can’t study for free. If you’re lucky enough to get a rare full scholarship, you’ll still have to find money for your travel, food, books, health insurance, phone calls and fun.

3. Look beyond your university

You can find a complete list of scholarships on many websites, including those awarded by private foundations (such as a Fulbright Scholarship), or government bodies in the host country (such as the British Council) or your own country (such as the Department of Education). Check carefully to see if you’re eligible – many have nationality, course or age restrictions.

4. Every little bit helps

Even if it’s just a small grant towards the cost of your books, it’s worth taking the time to apply. It’s one less thing to worry about when you get there!

5. Apply for as many as you can

Yes, it takes time. But it’s free money! So make a list of all the scholarships you are eligible for. Double-check you have all the right documents to prove your case, and get someone read over your supporting essay or letter. It’s always good to get another point of view.

6. Be confident

If the application requires a letter or essay explaining why you deserve the scholarship, don’t be shy. List all your relevant achievements – not just academic results but also community work, career experience and awards.

7. Avoid scholarship scams

There is no such thing as a ‘guaranteed scholarship’. You should never have to pay an application fee for a scholarship. Unfortunately, some dodgy scholarship companies will just take your money and disappear.

8. Allow plenty of time

You need to think about your finances at least 18 months before you hope to start your course. But once you have been accepted onto the course, you may only have a short window of time where you can apply for a course-specific scholarship. So don’t miss your deadline; keep in touch with your StudyLink counsellor and with the University’s international office.

9. Keep a record of all the documents

You need proof of funds to get your visa sorted, and that includes the scholarship offer or agreement.

10. Have a back up plan

Don’t despair if all those applications come to nothing. There are other ways to finance your education. Student loans, help from your friends and family, and company sponsorships are worth looking into as well.

If you need further help or advice, visit us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

10 Top Sites For Online Education

Whether you want to top up your knowledge on a subject or learn a completely new skill, there is no shortage of online courses to help you on your way. In fact, there are so many choices, it can be difficult to figure out which platform suits you best!

If you want to help upgrade the skills of one of your freelancers or employees, it can be even more difficult to choose the best match for their learning style.

To help you navigate the rapidly expanding world of online education, here are 10 of the most popular options for upgrading your skills. Ready, set…learn!

Coursera

Coursera has partnered with leading universities in the U.S. and around the world to provide online courses covering dozens of different subjects. Recently, they’ve introduced “specializations”—10 different course pathways that will lead to an official certification from an associated university.

Coursera has a wide diversity of subjects available to choose from; everything from data science to musical theory. As Coursera prides itself on being accessible to everyone, many of the courses are either free or very cheap to to take, with only the official certification at the end having a higher cost involved.

Lynda.com

A veteran in the online education space, Lynda.com offers a subscription-based video tutorial library. Think of it as an education-based Netflix. A great option for people who are visual learners, and at a reasonable cost of $25 per month, a Lynda.com membership provides unlimited access to more than 80,000 videos on a broad range of different subjects.

Udemy

With an average of 800 new courses added to their repertoire every month, Udemy is a bit more expensive than its competitors. Costs vary broadly, ranging from $10 to $500 for different courses; the most popular Udemy courses in business and technology tend to be upwards of $100. However, you can read the reviews of former students before signing up to any of the courses, so you can make a more informed decision.

Udacity

Udacity is a platform with a strong focus on technology, with a small but well-crafted selection of courses. If you’re looking to break into data science (called the “sexiest job of the 21st century“), Udacity’s data science program has an impressive roster of teachers from companies like Salesforce and Facebook.

Udacity’s pricing structure allows you to pay monthly for your courses; if you decide to drop a program before completing it, you pay for the course up to that point, rather than the whole thing.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a non-profit online platform providing a completely free library of educational “micro-lectures.” Focusing on more traditional academic subjects, Khan Academy provides a mix of video and text-based materials in math, science, economics, humanities, and a bit of computer programming. Since Khan Academy is free for anyone to use, it’s a great to way to get a taste for a subject before moving onto a more advanced course elsewhere.

Codecademy

Previously backed by the White House, Codecademy is dedicated to teaching people how to code—and it’s available for free. While other online coding courses are a “learn at your own pace” environment, Codecademy motivates learners to keep a fast pace using supportive groups and a gamified points system.

The school offers courses on a number of languages—including PHP, Phython and Ruby—and students are often already building and deploying projects by the time they finish their course.

Bloc

Focused on web development, Bloc is a more intensive option for those who want to learn quickly. Instead of short courses or lectures, this highly structured program runs for 25 hours per week over several months. With tuition starting at $4,250, bloc.io doesn’t come cheap—but it does offer a great option for those who are ready to commit to a career change.

iversity

Hailed as the “Coursera of Europe,” Berlin-based iversity has partnered with European and international universities to offer academic courses for free. Unlike Coursera, however, it doesn’t look like iversity is currently providing any official certification.

Skillshare

Skillshare is a community marketplace for new skills. With a broad range of different subjects to choose from, Skillshare offers an online catalog of video-based courses, as well as in-person workshops in cities like San Francisco and New York.

Many classes are available to take without a membership at a cost of around $20-$30 each, but top classes—taught by industry leaders—are only available with a Skillshare membership. Membership costs $9.95 per month and, while it doesn’t get you any free content, it does provide 20 percent off of all classes. Like other platforms, Skillshare provides student reviews for your reference.

General Assembly

Focusing on education in design, business and technology, New York City-basedGeneral Assembly has campuses in nearly a dozen different cities around the world. Although the majority of General Assembly classes are in-person, they also offer a compact selection of online-only or mixed courses.

General Assembly even livestreams popular lectures, providing real-time interaction with the lecturer and other students. Their online courses range in price, from one-off lectures to multi-part workshops.

“Verification or Validation? What do you think?”

Would you kindly help me clear something up?

A colleague and I were having a lively argument about the difference between Validation and Verification and it got me thinking. What’s the difference anyway? What do we mean by these terms and do you and I mean the same thing?

Winning the argument seemed pretty important to me at the time, so I did some deep and extensive research (oh, alright, I Googled it) and found the Wikipedia definitions, as follows . . .

• “Verification is a quality control process that is used to evaluate whether a product, service, or system complies with regulations, specifications, or conditions imposed at the start of a development phase.”
• “Validation is a quality assurance process of establishing evidence that provides a high degree of assurance that a product, service, or system accomplishes its intended requirements.”

These definitions appear to say the same thing but if you dig into the semantics there IS a difference. A friend at ARM put it very nicely in a presentation to a DVClub Conference in the UK late last year. He said the difference was highlighted in the two questions . . .

 I’m pretty sure I’ve heard this before and it does appear many places on the web so my ARM friend may not be totally original here, but the questions are good questions, none-the-less (if you know where they originate, then please let me know).

What we infer from the questions are the following. . .

Verification is a matching of results to specification. It is a methodical process of proving something does what you asked for, and nothing else. The specification is taken as golden. The aim; a proof that the design meets the specification.

Validation, on the other hand, is the exercising of the design to check that it is fit for purpose. It is a subjective process of using the design, perhaps in situ, definitely with the embedded software, to see if it does what you need. The specification is NOT golden and in effect is under test along with the design. The aim: a proof that the design AND the specification meet purpose.

So where does FPGA-based Prototyping come in? Well, here’s what you told us. In answer to a question in the FPMM download survey, nearly 2000 users kindly shared the following data about their reasons to use FPGA-based Prototyping. . .

Wait a minute; this says that people use FPGA-based Prototyping to “Verify” the RTL, or to “verify” the hardware and software co-design. So, is FPGA-based Prototyping a verification technology? Clearly, looking at the most popular answer, prototypes do expose RTL bugs that sneak through the normal verification process. How is that possible?

A Safety Net for Verification?

Verification is impacted by the classic speed-accuracy trade-off. We can have high accuracy in an RTL simulator and even go to the gate level, but speed is so far below real-time that some tests simply take too long, even on an accelerator or an emulator. On the other hand, high-level modelling in SystemC and other virtual prototypes gives us much better performance but we no longer have cycle-accurate results. Only FPGA-based Prototyping offers the unique combination of high-speed AND cycle-accuracy, allowing longer and more complex tests to be run on the prototype than in a Simulator, catching otherwise unseen RTL bugs.

So, Is FPGA-based Prototyping a verification technology? No;  It lacks the necessary observability, controllability and determinism required for the objective testing of RTL, however, we could quite rightly consider it as a “safety net” for verification.

Objective vs. Subjective

Because Verification is an objective comparison of results against the specification, there is massive scope for automation, for example as in the UVM and VMM methodologies. Validation, however, is more subjective and so less easy to automate, relying more on the expertise of the prototypers themselves. Prototypers need to see the system running, in the real environment actually performing the task for which the specification was created. We may also choose to exercise the design outside of the specification’s envelope in order to explore further optimisation, or to improve upon the specification. There is an emphasis on debug skills and in-lab investigation.

FPGA-based Prototyping is a Validation Technology

Looking back at your survey responses, we see that “System Validation”, “System Integration” and “Software Development” are also popular uses for FPGA-based Prototyping. These use modes are definitely in the validation camp. Here we are using the FPGA-based Prototype as a substitute for the first-silicon and in effect, we are running early acceptance tests on the design and its software. Once again, we are taking advantage of its unique combination of high-speed and accuracy.

In many cases the FPGA-based Prototype is used as a real-world platform upon which to exercise the software, especially software at lower (physical) levels of the stack. Of course, we may find some RTL bugs when we run the real software at speed (kudos indeed to the verification team if we don’t!) and this is an excellent by-product, however, that was not the prototype’s original purpose. Simulation and Emulation are better for verification while FPGA-based Prototyping is better for validation. Virtual prototyping also falls into the validation camp, with emphasis on the higher levels of the software stack and pre-RTL stages of the design.

If finding RTL bugs is your purpose, then simulation and a good verification Methodology will be your best bet. If exercising software and validating the system is our purpose, then prototyping is a far better choice than any verification technology.

In the end, most SoC teams will use both and value the contribution of each equally.