Joining the cyber league

Cyber crime-fighters: these individuals may not wear capes, but around the clock, they are working to keep our information, identities, money, health, and businesses safe.

Former IBM president and CEO Ginni Rometty describes cybercrime as:

“The greatest threat to every profession, every industry, every company in the world.”

Businesses globally report an acute need for over a million cyber experts, while in Australia alone, non-profit researcher AustCyber predicts a shortage of 18,000 cyber experts by 2026.

So who are the cyber superheroes of tomorrow? We spent three minutes with three top techies – each at different stages of their careers and lives – to find out what drives them to fight cybercrime.

A woman with long red hair stands with data superimposed over her face.

Anusha: upskilling to get ahead of the game

Anusha Vennemaneni is an IT professional, currently studying Graduate Certificate in Cyber Security.

Why are you studying cyber security?

“As an IT professional already, I am upskilling to meet the demands of the industry. I gained my IT degree in India in 2011, and worked as a Java programmer until moving to Australia and having my daughter.

VU’s Graduate Certificate in Cyber Security attracted me because it’s flexible – it is both online and on-campus, and the units deal with emerging technologies such as cloud technology and cyber law; and it’s all really hands-on. It’s great to study in a practical setting, solving real-world problems as we learn how to minimise cybercrime.”

Brian: future-proofing his career

Brian Lau is the Climate Change Policy Development and Diversity/Inclusion advocate for the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.

He's currently studying Graduate Certificate in Cyber Security.

How do you think cyber security training will push your career forward?

“Over the years, I saw the impact of IT skills proliferating into every industry, and decided that some formal training could future proof my career. I chose cyber security because data protection is a large part of my current role in public administration, and would apply to any other organisations.

I believe my training in cyber security will give me an edge as there are so few policy professionals with a training in network security.”

Andrew: tackling cyber crime head on

Andrew Hinton works in cyber security threat hunting and discovery at Telstra.

He studied Bachelor of Information Technology and Advanced Diploma of Information Technology (Network Security) ICA60208 (course no longer offered; see Diploma of Information Technology).

What is the big deal about cyber security?

“Cyber security has such a major impact on every aspect of a business and their consumers.

It plays an important role in securing so many facets of critical industries you may not have even thought about – for example healthcare (e.g. wireless pacemakers), travel (e.g. avionics), to banking (e.g. online banking).

The recent Equifax breach highlighted that, with 143 million Americans suffering a devastating blow to their privacy and personal information, simply due to poor cyber security practices.”