Why Every Manager Needs Data and Cyber Skills As Part Of An MBA

The extraordinary opportunities and inherent risks of the digital world for every organisation has led to a partnership delivering a Master of Business Administration with a cyber edge.

Ducere Global Business School has joined forces with the University of New England to offer an MBA (Data and Cyber Management) designed to provide leaders with an understanding of core business concepts and industry-focused skills.

Education entrepreneur and Ducere founder Mat Jacobson said being able to understand the fast-changing digital landscape was now crucial for any organisation to thrive.

“A century ago, a lot of a MBAs would have been focussed on manufacturing because that’s what was driving the economy,” Jacobson said.

“In the 21st century, an organisation can’t be in a position to thrive without an understanding of data and the digital world.

“There are also digital risks that businesses must be able to manage, including an exposure to being hacked and having data stolen.

“Our MBA is designed as a program for any manager of any business to understand how to appropriately manage data.

“Every business, from a small café to a gym to a global corporation, has a digital presence and so there is an enormous need for managers to have the fundamental skills needed both now and in the future.

“A business that is unable to understand data simply cannot optimise and cannot make the correct decisions based on data management.”

Focus on key business and digital management skills

The University of New England-accredited MBA program is completed entirely online and involves a variety of business and cyber units culminating in the completion of a collaborative industry project.

Key study areas include global cyber security and law, risk analysis, threat management, business strategy, digital operations and project management.

“These aren’t skills that are just ‘nice to have’. This is the 21st century and not having digital awareness can be a disaster for businesses and their customers,” Jacobson said.

“The core of the MBA program is still all about business management but with the fundamentals of data and cyber management surrounding it.”

Partnering with industry and universities

Jacobson said the $32,000 MBA (Data and Cyber Management) program was designed to be accessible for managers and leaders in any industry.

“The idea is you get a world-class program that it also one of the most affordable programs in the entire country,” Jacobson said.

“Ducere builds our own curriculum and then we partner with a great university to accredit the MBA.

“Together we are able to do something neither of us could achieve alone.

“We design it from an industry perspective, not from an academia perspective then we deliver those programs in collaboration with leading industry sponsors.”

Ducere MBA (Data and Cyber Management) graduate Stephen Nyabadza is applying his learning as a senior sales lead for software-as-a-service company Alyne.

“I am aware of concepts that are rife in our business and apply them constantly due to the study I completed,” Stephen said.

Fellow graduate Katherine Weissel said she had developed new ways to implement strategies in the workplace to better protect information and data.

“Understanding and appropriately managing data and cyber in the 21st century is imperative in any business environment and will become increasingly relevant with all positions.

“The course has given me more confidence to tackle the ever-evolving issue of cyber management.”

For more information on the Ducere MBA, click here.