Introductory description

Cyber security consultants are required to apply analytical, decision-making, and communication skills to provide
reliable advice to clients. Quite often they report progress and outcomes to stakeholders, which include those who are able to understand technical terms, descriptions, and explanations, and those who are not always able to understand these. Consultants must possess strong leadership skills, enhanced project management skills, organisation and management skills and possess the knowledge and confidence to make effective leadership interventions within a cyber security context.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

• The role of a consultant. The strategic context setting of Cyber Security; the culture of cyber security; roles in an
  enterprise; human factors in cyber security; roles and responsibilities within a cyber team; security professionalism;
  security culture and raising cyber awareness;
• Managing consultancy projects. The consultancy life cycle; elucidating requirements; planning, developing, controlling, and delivering consultancy projects; developing consultancy proposals; consultancy tools, skills, and techniques; dealing with uncertainty such as vague specifications and rapidly changing environments.
• Managing cyber security projects from a system, application, and physical security viewpoint. Identity management: authentication, access control and privilege management; securing compute environments and applications; Email, web and database security; social networks; DRM; database security; big data security; physical and environmental controls; physical protection of IT assets.
• Responsible and secure implementation of AI for different platforms and organisations.
• Explore the role of security consultants in designing and implementing emerging technologies such as Web3, quantum computing, and block chain.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Adapt and innovate to solve problems and manage unpredictable situations, making sound judgements in the absence of complete data.
• Demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively using self-direction and initiative, applying planning, organisational and budgeting skills appropriately.
• Demonstrate effective professional relationship skills, including negotiation, facilitation and communication.
• Formulate and deliver logical and precise arguments for organisational decision makers.

Indicative reading list

Reading lists can be found in Talis

Specific reading list for the module

Research element

There is a strong emphasis on the development, growth, and enhancement of individual research skills so as to
provide participants with the high-level research knowledge, skills, and competencies needed to undertake an
independent, original piece of research. The module content draws upon and highlights research within the domain,
and the module assessment requires participants to perform further research before preparing a response to the
assessment task.

Interdisciplinary

Although the module is largely dedicated towards the development of discipline-specific technical, professional, and
analytical skills, there is a small emphasis on the interdisciplinary nature of the subject. The key transferable skills
acquired in this module, namely project management, budget management, time management, and resource
management, are key skills that are applicable across a range of disciplines.

Subject specific skills

Participants will develop a detailed applied knowledge of the day-to-day work of a cyber security consultant and the
process of managing consultancy projects.

Transferable skills

Self-awareness, communication, teamwork, sustainability, intercultural awareness, professionalism, organisational
awareness.