More data, more security challenges: integrating analytics in to the information security curriculum

Today, the emerging role of technological advances and availability of cloud computing platforms has greatly impacted the way organizations are doing business. In fast pace, dynamic business environment, traditional methods to ensure information security are no longer useful. Organizational security data is quite complex. Managing large volumes of such data becomes difficult to process using on-hand data management tools or traditional data processing applications. Moreover, formation of electronic collaboration with previously unknown business partners on one hand brings many opportunities to improve business profits, but on the other hand, ensuring the security of organizational resources becomes a major issue. The problem compounds when security professionals are not skilled at handling unstructured, large volume of data. In this paper, we discuss the importance of integrating big data analytics in to the curriculum of information security. Also, we will discuss the limitations of existing information security curriculum from the perspective of preparing students for assuming the role of security professionals. Mainly, we have identified four main topics of information security where big data analytics may play an important role. The goal of this paper is to help universities around the world in improving existing information security programs.