Message from the Director | Master of Science in Information Assurance Online

Norwich University | Master of Science in Information Assurance

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When I began working in the computer field in the 60's, information assurance meant nothing more than controlling access to the computer room. Getting data out of the room required either printing it or copying it to spools of magnetic tape the size of hubcaps. The center of the information assurance world was the computer room.

All that has changed since the early 1990's. The Internet allows a hacker to knock on a company's front door, back door, or side door from anywhere in the world, and a disgruntled employee can download a gigabyte of company data onto a flash drive the size of your thumb and walk it out in his or her pocket. Not surprisingly, securing an organization's information assets has become a critical business process. Recent high profile cases of information theft have moved the information assurance field to center stage. Information assurance professionals are in high demand, and studies indicate that the need will double in the next few years. Never has the field seen a brighter future.

The increased need for information assurance has also come with increased demands in the field. The information assurance professional has to worry not only about securing an organization's proprietary information, but customer and employee information. The information assurance professional must understand the new regulatory environment that has been created by laws such as HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley. Even the name of the field has evolved from "information security" to "information assurance," a term borrowed from government circles in recognition that security is a process, not a product. It also recognizes that threats are not limited to malicious attack. Natural disasters, employee error, and hardware failure are all equally serious threats.

Norwich University created the Master of Science in Information Assurance program to fill the need for professionals who understand the management of information assurance and how information assurance supports and advances business needs.

This is not technical training in how to configure a firewall. As they say, information assurance is about people, not technology. The greatest need is for professionals who understand the policies, procedures, and overall structure of an organization-wide information assurance program. We prepare students to enter upper management positions to implement information assurance principles across all parts of an organization.

An educational principle that has been true for years and is a keystone of Norwich's history as a teaching institution is that theory must be melded with practice for real learning to occur. Our students apply what they learn to their own organization while they learn it, providing them with consulting experience and their organization with valuable reports. Many of our students have been promoted as a result of their case study before even completing the program.

Norwich University's MSIA program will be a significant enhancement to your career in this increasingly visible and important field. Join the ranks of our successful graduates.

Sincerely,

Michel E. Kabay's Signature