The importance of cyber awareness in project management

Successfully planning and executing any business or IT Project should always begin with a secure and robust environment as the foundation.

As a result, project management and cyber security awareness have become inextricably linked in recent years. Although these two disciplines appear to be miles apart, they have much more in common than many realise. For example, cyber security and project management require meticulous planning while proactively preparing for risks and failures along the way.

Businesses are currently under threat of constant attacks and at risk of data breaches which is forcing teams to think differently and embrace change. The Project Management Institute (PMI) defines project managers as change agents who use their skills and expertise to inspire a shared purpose within the project team. In addition, the rise of vulnerability management projects highlights a critical need for greater cyber awareness and even cyber security project managers.

 

Why is cyber awareness important in project management?

Although every workplace is guilty of getting bogged down with business-as-usual activities, cyber security threats and their potential impact on an organization have become impossible to ignore. According to Verizon’s 2022 Data Breaches Investigations Report, 82% of data breaches in the workplace are the result of human error, and it can take years to recover from reputational damage.

As a result, most businesses are adopting a proactive rather than reactive security mindset to better protect their data and reputation. When project managers implement new solutions or modify existing data management systems and IT architecture, they are also expected to have cyber security front of mind to avoid unwittingly adding vulnerabilities or security risks.

Cyber awareness must be at the heart of every phase of the Project, and project managers must lead with a security-first mindset to ensure that every team member does the same. For these reasons alone, arming yourself with cyber knowledge and awareness will ensure that you bring value to every project and become an invaluable resource for your employer.

 

 

How do I learn the basics of cyber security?

Now that cyber security has become everybody’s business, many professionals outside the tech industry are beginning to move from awareness to learning basic cyber skills. The good news is that it’s never been easier for anyone to embark on a learning journey that will take them from beginner to industry expert at their own pace.

Whether you want to switch to a career as a cyber security professional or a project manager wanting to enter the niche market of managing cyber security projects, there are many options depending on your unique requirements. When learning from home, we believe that keeping our students motivated with a StudentCare™ team and expert career consultants who are always just an email or phone call away are equally as important as the courses.

Before enrolling on any course or choosing an education partner, we strongly recommend anyone interested in cyber security have a conversation with our career consultants, who will guide you through how to learn the basics and beyond. Only when you have carefully plotted your path to unlock your personal objectives will you be ready to work towards the qualifications to kickstart your career in project management.

 

Which project management certifications are best for tech?

Our project management collections are designed to arm you with the tools to secure your dream career as a project manager in IT. Not only will you learn the fundamentals to manage a project confidentially, but it will also provide you with the technical skills to enter the IT world and deliver complex tech projects.

For example, we recommend learning about the ITIL v4 Foundation to understand the ITIL® framework and the language everyone in IT uses. The concepts and terminology used in the ITIL® service lifecycle will provide you with the skills required to focus on the critical alignment of IT and business strategies.

Understanding the importance of change management in IT is also critical, especially when implementing new technical solutions in a live environment. Therefore, the Change Management Foundation course can also be an essential base to build your project management career in IT. For those completely new to project management, entry-level courses PRINCE2® Foundation and CompTIA Project+ will provide the perfect starting point.

These courses will help you speak the same language as IT, navigate around change management, and implement your first IT project with cyber security elements in the project scope from the beginning.

 

Can I easily career change into project management?

Our project management collection of courses are designed to help any individual, regardless of their background or experience level to secure the project management role of their dreams. But this is just the beginning of your career journey with us. An entry-level junior project manager can quickly enter a role for around £25k, but additional courses such as PRINCE2® Practitioner, PRINCE2® Agile Practitioner, and Project management professional (PMP) could lead you to a six-figure salary sooner than you might think.

 

Ultimately a project manager is simply someone responsible for planning, implementing, overseeing, and reporting the progress of a series of tasks. However, as an IT project manager, you will also be responsible for identifying and preventing cyber security threats. Whichever unique path you choose, we will have a collection of courses to help you unlock your dream career where the sky is the limit for your future aspirations.