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Education is a major tool. It helps students learn the right information to prepare them for a great career. When it comes to cybersecurity, there are some new challenges that arise thanks to the number of different career paths. As a result, it’s important to connect cybersecurity education to multiple standards and frameworks.

Not sure how to get started? In this piece, we’ll explain everything. We’ll start with some definitions then dive into specific ways you can incorporate standards and frameworks into your lesson plans.

What Are Cybersecurity Standards?

Standards are simply the best practices in cybersecurity. Techniques, programs, and different ideas will fall into this category. They’re established through years of trial and error within the world of cybersecurity.

Different Cybersecurity Standards

Keep in mind, “standards” isn’t a blanket statement. There is a list of different standards that someone might adhere to. Some of the more common ones are:

• DFARS (Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement)
• ISO/IEC 27001
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
• Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA)
• ISO 22301
• ISO/IEC 27002
• ISO/IEC 27031
• ISO/IEC 27032
• ISO/IEC 27701
• NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF)

While it might not be possible to outline all of these standards with your students, it’s critical that they understand what a standard is and how it’s used.

What Is a Cybersecurity Framework?

A cybersecurity framework is a lot like a standard. It outlines the best ways to do something and incorporated industry-accepted methods.

The only difference is that a framework is more like a schematic. It involves procedures, policies, and how to implement the security controls. You can think about frameworks as blueprints to cybersecurity success in a company.

Different Cybersecurity Frameworks

Although standards and frameworks might share the same nomenclature, the associated files are very different. An ISO 27000 standard will explain the best way to use the protection while a framework with the same name will outline how to deploy and create policies for a company.

• Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology (COBIT)
• ISO 27000
• U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Connecting Cybersecurity Education to Multiple Standards and Frameworks

Now that you know what these two segments mean, it’s important to understand how you can connect your students to these important concepts. After all, connecting them today should set them up for more fruitful careers in the future.

Tools and Technology

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that cybersecurity education really revolves around tools and technology. In your curriculum, you’ll want to present the different tools used in the different standards. In addition, the newest technology usually coincides with different frameworks.

Though it might cost more, your program will benefit from upgrading to the more modern tools and technologies used in the industry.

By giving students experience using technology that they’ll later use, they’ll be graduating with an upper hand.

Teaching Methods

There are also different schools of thought when it comes to these standards and frameworks described earlier. For example, DFARS is all about keeping unauthorized users out and protecting confidential information. As such, learning how to use a DFARS system is very different than learning to use a system in a standard office building.

It’s important to experiment with different teaching methods in the classroom. Lectures built around different cybersecurity standards will better prepare your students as they progress through their unique careers.

This goes beyond the idea that some students learn differently than others. It dives into preparing all of the students to learn different frameworks and mentalities in the future.

Personal and Professional Development

Another concept that standards and frameworks help us to understand is the ideas behind personal and professional development. As an educator, it’s your role to develop the necessary skills in your students.

Part of that is also the development that goes into the individuals in your lecture hall; their personal development.

By exposing your students to the skills they’ll need later, they’ll feel more confident when they start in the workforce.

This category entails teaching students soft and hard skills that they’ll need in their respective careers. Things like programming, building disaster recovery plans, and understanding how networks work. On top of that, the students need to learn how to be organized, work in teams, and find the drive to keep working.

These are just a handful of examples that go into personal and professional development.

Degree Completion

It’s critical that your students understand what their degree can do. By using ideas from multiple standards and frameworks, students can choose their path moving forward.

There are dozens of different certificates and degrees that are offered. Understanding the impact of each unique choice is a big deal. It helps a student to forge their path moving forward.

As an educator, you can explain how the different degrees work and the importance of completing a degree. Make sure the educational path is laid out clearly, so they understand what courses they need and why.

Some different degrees and certificates are:

• National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) Knowledge Units
• National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) National Cybersecurity Workforce Framework
• Cybersecurity Education Curriculum (CSEC 2017)
• CompTIA Security+
• Certified Ethical Hacker

Conclusion

When it comes to educating, you’re not alone. There are a number of standards and frameworks that can be incorporated into the classroom to improve your students’ learning. In addition, at Jones & Bartlett Learning, we’re always here to help you. If you want custom solutions, you can reach out to our professional educators at Jones & Bartlett Learning.