What is information security?

Information security is the practice of keeping data protected from theft, destruction, or misuse. It's different from cybersecurity in that cybersecurity refers to protecting physical computer assets, while information security concerns defending data from hackers. The practices of information security protect data from accidental breaches, unauthorized access, and malicious attacks. Whether you're storing your data or transmitting it from one place to another, information security keeps your data safe. The term "data" includes printed media as well as electronic information, and information security practices protect your data whether or not it's confidential.

Why study information security?

Our world has become increasingly dependent on data, and malicious people want to get their hands on information, which makes information security vital to our modern society. Piracy, identity theft, and intellectual property crimes are on the rise every year, so the demand for people and software that protects data continues to grow. Data breaches cost money and can damage reputations, so keeping information protected can prevent catastrophic problems. A working knowledge of information security is crucial if you're interested in a career in information technology.

What are typical careers that use information security skills?

You can apply your knowledge of information security in a vast array of industries. Companies all over the country are looking for information technology specialists to help keep their sensitive and proprietary data safe, and jobs are available in the finance, healthcare, government, law enforcement, and insurance sectors, as well as in other areas. Cybersecurity and information technology companies are also hiring, and these businesses work with various clients to protect data from hackers and other attacks. You may even be able to start your own business in information security.

How can online courses on Coursera help me learn information security?

Learning information security with online courses on Coursera allows you to gain a foothold in this growing field. You can gain firsthand experience in the issues that drive the information security industry, as well as the methods that data professionals use to combat hackers and data pirates. Opportunities exist to work toward becoming an IBM cybersecurity analyst, learn about cryptography, and understand regulatory compliance.

What are the benefits of taking an online Information Security course?

Online Information Security courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your knowledge or learn new Information Security skills. Choose from a wide range of Information Security courses offered by top universities and industry leaders tailored to various skill levels.

What Information Security courses are best for training and upskilling employees or the workforce?

When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Information Security, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here .

Top Information Security Courses - Learn Information Security Online

Explore the Information Security Course Catalog

DeepLearning.AI
Source Systems, Data Ingestion, and Pipelines
Skills you'll gain: Apache Airflow, Data Pipelines, Data Integration, AWS Kinesis, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Terraform, Extract, Transform, Load, Apache Kafka, Amazon CloudWatch, Data Quality, Amazon Web Services, CI/CD, Data Processing, NoSQL, Relational Databases
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
100 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Decisiones Financieras
Skills you'll gain: Financial Statements, Financial Statement Analysis, Portfolio Management, Financial Accounting, Income Statement, Financial Analysis, Balance Sheet, Investments, Financial Market, Business Valuation, Risk Management, Cash Management, Working Capital, Accrual Accounting, Market Liquidity, Cash Flows, Asset Management, Capital Budgeting, Financial Modeling, Investment Management
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
190 reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: New
IBM
Introduction to Business Analysis
Skills you'll gain: Requirements Elicitation, Business Analysis, Requirements Analysis, Digital Transformation, Business Process, Gap Analysis, Business Requirements, Business Transformation, Systems Analysis, Trend Analysis, Stakeholder Engagement, Solution Design, Stakeholder Communications, Project Management, Change Management
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
158 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
University of Maryland, College Park
Framework for Data Collection and Analysis
Skills you'll gain: Data Collection, Business Research, Survey Creation, Data Quality, Data Processing, Data Analysis, Sampling (Statistics), Quality Assessment, Data Access, Exploratory Data Analysis
4.2
Rating, 4.2 out of 5 stars
763 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Functional Programming in Scala Capstone
Skills you'll gain: Scala Programming, User Interface (UI), Heat Maps, Data Visualization Software, Interactive Data Visualization, Big Data, Geospatial Mapping, Data Manipulation, Data Transformation, Spatial Data Analysis, Web Applications
4.4
Rating, 4.4 out of 5 stars
546 reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Microsoft
Cybersecurity and Privacy
Skills you'll gain: Virtual Private Networks (VPN), Cybersecurity, Multi-Factor Authentication, Authentications, Information Systems Security, Network Security, Technical Support and Services, Information Privacy, Servers, Cloud Computing, Cloud Security, Network Administration, Encryption, Mac OS
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
100 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free
EIT Digital
Architecting Smart IoT Devices
Skills you'll gain: Embedded Software, Embedded Systems, Systems Architecture, Debugging, Computer Architecture, System Programming, Internet Of Things, Application Security, General Networking, Wireless Networks, Operating Systems, Performance Tuning, System Configuration, Hardware Troubleshooting, Real Time Data
4.4
Rating, 4.4 out of 5 stars
335 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Introduction to Business Analytics with R
Skills you'll gain: Tidyverse (R Package), Data Processing, Business Analytics, Data Transformation, Data Manipulation, R Programming, Business Analysis, Business Process Automation, Analytics, Data Cleansing, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Visualization, Data Analysis, Statistical Programming, Data-Driven Decision-Making
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
284 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
University of Minnesota
Engineering Practices for Building Quality Software
Skills you'll gain: Software Design Patterns, Software Engineering, Application Security, Object Oriented Design, Software Architecture, Software Quality (SQA/SQC), Threat Modeling, Maintainability, Code Review, Quality Assurance, Continuous Integration, CI/CD, Software Technical Review, Test Driven Development (TDD), Software Development Tools, Software Documentation, Version Control
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
431 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
University of Virginia
Design Thinking: Insights to Inspiration
Skills you'll gain: Design Thinking, Innovation, User Research, Human Centered Design, Project Scoping, User Experience Design, Project Planning, Qualitative Research, Interviewing Skills, Customer Insights, Empathy, Persona Development
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
104 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
SAS
Statistics with SAS
Skills you'll gain: SAS (Software), Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Statistical Software, Statistical Analysis, Predictive Modeling, Statistical Programming, Statistical Modeling, Statistical Methods, Regression Analysis, Probability & Statistics, Data Analysis
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
296 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
IBM
Data Scientist Career Guide and Interview Preparation
Skills you'll gain: Professional Networking, Interviewing Skills, Professional Development, LinkedIn, Presentations, Data Science, Business Writing, Portfolio Management, Data Analysis, Problem Solving, Communication, Python Programming, Machine Learning
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
231 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks