What is the minimum security skill in ICT

Without going into too much commercial and academic detail, today I was in the process of creating an assessment for our current CCNP ISCW course. Irrespective of Cisco programme developments, academia moves at a unique pace, where change occurs in epoch based cycles. I cannot share anything about my thoughts regarding this assessment, for totally obvious reasons, but can reflect on the wider subject of assessment of a security discipline.

In an discipline that is constantly changes, new exploits and defence mechanisms are continuously evolving, you have to consider the important questions:

How can education in ‘security’ reflect current practice and trends in ‘security’.
Are the skills being delivered in ‘security’ enough to prepare students for the demands of ‘security’.
What is a the minimum skill required to ensure that someone is competent to maintain the security of any system.

Big question, me thinks.

Andrew Smith
Follow me on Twitter: @teraknor