Nebraska entered the United States in 1867, two years after the Civil War had ended. Its name comes from an Oto Indian word that means “flat water.” Nebraska is known for having some of the best ranchland and farmland in the United States. Called the Cornhusker State, Nebraska is the only state with a nonpartisan, unicameral legislature, by which it has been governed since 1937.
While these facts all set Nebraska apart and make it unique, the state faces many of the same challenges as other states and, really, as global locations do. Nebraska has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic just as places all over the world have been affected. The state’s Chief Information Officer, Ed Toner, writes a monthly blog that is accessible to everyone on the state government website. In the April 2020 post, he notes how the pandemic has changed the volume and type of IT requests his team had been receiving. He notes that this was now the new normal, and a new era of information technology for which they must prepare. Toner writes of the “critical need to maintain business functions and operational technology, all while expanding geographically from our ‘brick and mortar’ office buildings into our homes.”
Toner points out how service requests for the Office of the Chief Information Officer skyrocketed in March 2020, with 7304 total closed requests that month. There will continue to be challenges for him and his team, Toner says. He stresses prioritization of critical tasks, supporting teammates to move into telework, focusing on technology resilience and continuity, and taking care of one’s health as the main goals for his team in the coming months.
If you are interested in working in the field of information security in Nebraska, your first step should be to get an associate degree or certificate in the field. Read on to discover how you can begin this process.
Cybersecurity in the News in Nebraska
In September 2020, it was reported that a cybersecurity incident had occurred at Nebraska Medicine, causing problems across the state. The incident affected the Nebraska Medicine Community Connect Epic network, interrupting all electronic medical records and patient portal systems statewide that rely on this system. Hospitals affected include Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk, Great Plains Health in North Platte, Mary Lanning Healthcare in Hastings, and Beatrice Community Hospital and Health Center in Beatrice. All of these hospitals share the Epic system and, therefore, experienced the outage. The system was affected for many weeks before service was restored to normal. Nebraska Medicine plans to strengthen its computer security measures to prevent this from occurring again in the future.
Cybersecurity Education in Nebraska
A minimum of an associate degree or certificate in cybersecurity is usually advisable if you intend to apply to positions across Nebraska within the information security field, such as:
- IT Cyber Security Analyst – Client Resources, Omaha
- Information Assurance/Cyber Security Engineer – SAIC Corporation, Omaha
- Cybersecurity Analyst/DCO Watch – Perspecta, statewide
- Cybersecurity Engineer- Bank of the West, Omaha
- Cybersecurity Specialist – Guidehouse, Omaha
- Cyber Network Defender- US Army, Lincoln
- Associate Consulting Engineer – CDW, Lincoln
Associate Degree Programs in Cybersecurity in Nebraska
Associate degree programs available within Nebraska include:
- Associate of Applied Science in Cybersecurity
- Associate of Applied Science in Cisco Networking Academy & IBMi Application Development
- Associate of Applied Science in Information Security & IBMi Application Development
- Associate of Applied Science in Information Security & Technical Services Support
- Associate of Applied Science in Web & Visual Application Development & Information Security
- Associate of Applied Science in Computer Information Technology- focus on Cybersecurity
- Associate of Arts in Information Technology- Cyber Security
Associate Degree and Certificate Cybersecurity Programs Within Nebraska
Any college or university that you choose should be accredited by a regional accreditation agency that is listed with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE)
The National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sponsors the National Centers of Academic Excellence program, created in 1999. This program designates the best cybersecurity programs in the country as Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD).
Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education in Nebraska
The following cybersecurity programs in Nebraska are designated as Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE):
- Bellevue University—
—Cybersecurity Certificate of Completion – Undergraduate
—Cybersecurity Certificate of Completion – Graduate
Center for Cybersecurity Education
1000 Galvin Road South
Bellevue, NE 68005
CAE- Cyber Defense Education- Accredited through 2021
Dr. Mary Dobransky, Director
(402) 557-7160; dobransky@bellevue.edu
- Metropolitan Community College — Associate of Applied Science in Cybersecurity
Center for Cybersecurity Education
5300 North 30th St.
Omaha, NE 68111
CAE- Cyber Defense Education- Accredited through 2023
Gary Sparks, Program Director
- Northeast Community College —
—Associate of Applied Science in Cisco Networking Academy & IBMi Application Development
—Associate of Applied Science in Information Security & IBMi Application Development
—Associate of Applied Science in Information Security & Technical Services Support
—Associate of Applied Science in Web & Visual Application Development & Information Security
—Certificate in Information Security
Cyber Center
801 East Benjamin Ave.
Norfolk, NE 68701
CAE- Cyber Defense Education- Accredited through 2023
Brad Vogt, Program Director
More Cybersecurity Associate Degree and Certificate Programs in Nebraska
Other cybersecurity associate degree and certificate programs in Nebraska are:
- Southeast Community College – Associate of Applied Science in Computer Information Technology- focus on Cybersecurity (hybrid)
Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission
Lincoln Campus
8800 O St.
Lincoln, NE 68520
Linda Bettinger, Program Co-Director
(402) 437-2490; lbettinger@southeast.edu
- Western Nebraska Community College – Associate of Arts in Information Technology- Cyber Security
Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission
1601 E 27th St.
Scottsbluff, NE 69361
Courses in an Associate Degree in Cybersecurity Program in Nebraska
Courses will differ from one school to the next, of course. However, in an associate degree program in cybersecurity in Nebraska, you can generally expect to take the following course topics:
- Advanced Microcomputer Applications
- Electronic Communications
- Database Management
- IT Technical Support
- IT Hardware Support
- Networking Essentials
- Linux
- Windows Server
- Cyber Security Essentials
- Visual C#
Certificates for Cybersecurity in Nebraska
Other certificate programs in cybersecurity in Nebraska include:
- Executive Certificate in Cyber & Cyber Security Law – University of Nebraska at Omaha
- Graduate Certificate in Information Assurance – University of Nebraska at Omaha
Information Assurance Certificate – University of Nebraska at Omaha
Cybersecurity Salaries for Professionals in Nebraska
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) notes that as of May 2019, information security analysts working in Nebraska made an annual mean wage of $91,150. Those working in the Lincoln area earned an average of $88,830 per year, while those working in the Omaha-Council Bluffs area earned an annual salary of $91,500, slightly higher than the state average. Information security analysts working in the Southern nonmetropolitan area earned $90,490 that year.