I'm at a day-long technology event in Olympia, Wash., today and already (after only 30 minutes) I've received several items to blog on. As emergency managers, you may think that cybersecurity is for the IT professionals and not you. I would argue that it is like saying the weather and earthquakes are only for the National Weather Service and USGS. We need to know the basics of the threat and prevention and mitigation measures. Our roles may be more on consequence management, but we still need to be familiar with the hazard and the risks.
One way to become educated on various aspects of cybersecurity is to get a bit of training. Check out
EDX Courses that are offered online and are free if you take the courses one at a time.
At the website link above, search for these courses individually:
- Introduction to Cybersecurity
- Cybersecurity: The CISO's View
- Building a Cybersecurity Toolkit
- Finding your Cybersecurity Career Path
The last one is something you can refer others to, or perhaps you have an aptitude for IT and it is an area you might consider to as a specialization within emergency management. After all, cybersecurity is going to remain with us for now and into the future.
Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.
