Cybersecurity is not just about stopping attacks. It is also about understanding the rules, frameworks, and policies that shape how organizations protect themselves. This is what risk management and compliance is about. It is the skill of looking at the big picture. It is the skill of seeing how laws, strategies, and business goals affect security choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Job ads in this space are growing fast. GRC Analyst roles ask for knowledge of NIST, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS. Risk Analyst roles ask for the ability to read policy documents and turn them into clear action. Even SOC Analyst roles now ask for compliance awareness. Hiring managers want people who can think beyond the firewall. They want people who understand why a control exists, not just how it works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I built this skill through three writing-heavy courses at Old Dominion University. Each course pushed me into a different layer of risk and compliance. CYSE 425 taught me about national strategy and organizational culture. CYSE 526 taught me how risk plays out at the global level in cyber conflict. PHIL 355E taught me how ethics and law shape policy debates. The three artifacts below show what I learned in each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Policy Paper 4: Cybersecurity Culture, Strategy, and the Influence of Generative AI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n CYSE 425W: Cyber Strategy and Policy (Fall 2025)<\/p>\n\n\n\n A policy paper that analyzes the 2023 U.S. National Cybersecurity Strategy. The paper looks at how this strategy shapes organizational culture. It also explores how Generative AI changes the picture. The paper covers the five pillars of the strategy. It examines how training, accountability, and transparency build a strong security culture. It also includes a visual model that links national strategy, culture, and GenAI together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This paper is the clearest example of risk management thinking in my coursework. To write it, I had to read government policy documents from the White House and NIST. I had to understand how a national strategy reaches private companies. I had to see how rules shape behavior at every level of an organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The biggest lesson from this paper was that compliance is a culture. A company can have every policy on paper and still fail if the people inside do not believe in it. Strong compliance comes from leadership, training, and clear expectations. Weak compliance comes from fear, silence, and copy-paste rules. The paper also showed me how new technology like Generative AI can support compliance or break it. Both sides matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This artifact ties directly to GRC roles. Hiring managers in this space want people who can read a strategy document and explain what it means for the business. This paper proves I can do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCourse<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Why This Artifact Shows the Skill<\/h4>\n\n\n\n