In the digital age, hackers and cyber-terrorists have endless opportunities to exploit individuals, government institutions, NGOs and even large companies. As such, the skills of cybersecurity and computer forensics professionals are in high demand. This executive certificate equips students with skills to implement and maintain a robust information security system, with the intention of defending an organisation from cyberattacks. Students also learn to deal with the flip side of the coin, the event that their efforts fail, and a breach is made; they learn to identify the hacks, understand the source and recover compromised data.

The digital universe is growing at a phenomenal rate and, along with it, data is expanding too. Data comes from everywhere – social media posts, mobile phone signals, digital libraries, blogs, remote sensing, online network transmissions, your online footprints, etc. This data has come to be known as “big data”.  By its nature, big data is a collection of structured, semi-structured and unstructured data. Some may describe big data as “chaotic”. Be that as it may, hidden within big data lies valuable information that can be extrapolated to reveal critical patterns and behaviours such as emerging market preferences and opinions in social networks. It is not surprising therefore that data has become the most treasured resource in the world today as organisations are becoming more and more dependent on professionals who can effectively and efficiently interpret big data for accurate and profitable decision making.

The fast paced digital world and the fierce nature of global competition demands that businesses not only adopt and fully embrace technology, but continue to apply emerging digital technologies in new products and services to survive. This executive certificate centres on the impact of digital technologies on society in general and modern companies in particular. It is designed to equip students to confidently conceive, lead and execute digital innovations and develop new models for existing and insurgent businesses. The student gains an understanding of the strategic use of digital technologies for innovation and business transformation purposes.

The course focuses on hiring the popular Python and Java programming languages.  Both are open source and provide an excellent foundation to object oriented programming. Python, in particular, offers versatility for diverse fields from web and game development to machine learning, AI, scientific computing and academic research. Students are also introduced to elementary mobile application programming using Android software development. The combination of Java, Python and Android programming is a valuable skillset to have in any programmer’s stack because of the combinational diverse usage.

Modern technology now allows the data capturing process to be done in real-time using mobile devices that enumerators use to enter data whilst in the field. This data is exported directly into a centralised database for processing and analysis.

Open Data Kit (ODK) is an open-source suite of tools that allows data collection using Android mobile devices and data submission to an online server. This training will equip the participants with skills to author, field and manage mobile data collection platform using ODK.