The need for network security increases with each new threat to internet or online information systems. Hacking, phishing and spamming are more than annoying - these activities represent a serious threat to any organization that stores data or conducts business online. Identity theft alone is responsible for billions of dollars lost each year, to corporations and consumers alike. When it comes to online data, our only protection lies in the hands of trained network security specialists.
If you'd like to pursue a career in preventing cyber crime, you can choose to major in network security. Most programs in networking security are offered at the bachelor's level, and focus on coursework in computer architectures, operating systems, programming, networking protocols, storage systems, data communications, data security, cryptography and quality assurance. You may also need to take courses to prepare you for certification in systems such as Cisco, Oracle, Microsoft and Symantec, or for professional certification including Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Certified Information Security Manager (CISM).
With a network security degree, you could work in a corporate or organizational setting as an information security officer, wireless security expert, firewall administrator or disaster recovery specialist. You could also move into the field of law enforcement, and find work as a computer forensics specialist or as a special investigator for a government agency such as the FBI.





























