The NICE Framework, or National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education Framework, is a comprehensive guide that provides a common language and set of categories for describing cybersecurity work. This framework was designed to aid organizations in the process of identifying, recruiting, developing, and retaining their cybersecurity workforce.
This framework consists of the following categories:
- Securely Provision
- Operate and Maintain
- Protect and Defend
- Investigate
- Collect and Operate
- Analyze
- Oversight and Development
Each category can be broken down into specific tasks and work roles, which provide a detailed description of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for cybersecurity positions. Overall, this framework is useful for organizations or individuals seeking to gain a better understanding of the cybersecurity workforce and the various roles and responsibilities in the field. The clear, comprehensive structure can help organizations create effective workforce development strategies, as well as aid in the identification and resolution of skill gaps within organizational cybersecurity teams.
Personally, I wish to focus my career on the analyze or protect and defend areas. Protect and defend involves developing and implementing strategies to protect systems, networks, and sensitive data from various cyber threats. Professionals in this area are often employed in positions such as Information Security Analysts or Cyber Defense Analysts. The analyze area involves the collecting and analyzing of data to identify vulnerabilities and threats, and developing strategies to mitigate risk. Professionals in this area often work in roles such as Cyber Threat Analysts or Malware Analysts. Both of these areas deal with the type of content that I have found most engaging in my classes during my time at ODU.