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Cybersecurity & Privacy in Business Practice

Open Closing on September 6, 2025 / 1 spot left
Main contact
St Francis Xavier University
St Francis Xavier University
Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada
David Mattie
Assistant Professor
3
Timeline
  • September 8, 2025
    Experience start
  • October 28, 2025
    Mid-term check-in with employer
  • December 13, 2025
    Experience end
Experience
1 projects wanted
Dates set by experience
Preferred companies
Anywhere
Small to medium enterprise
Any industries

Experience scope

Categories
Security (cybersecurity and IT security)
Skills
privacy impact assessments identity and access management incident response business process design elements and principles data protection strategy cyber security risk management quality auditing cyber risk
Learner goals and capabilities

This experience is designed to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application in the field of cybersecurity and privacy. Learners will gain a comprehensive understanding of cybersecurity threats, risk management, governance, and compliance, as well as privacy by design principles and data protection strategies. By applying these concepts, learners can assist companies in enhancing their cybersecurity posture and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations. The program equips learners with the skills to conduct privacy impact assessments, manage identity and access, and respond effectively to cyber incidents, making them valuable assets for industry projects.

Learners

Learners
Undergraduate
Intermediate levels
23 learners
Project
40-50 hours per learner
Educators assign learners to projects
Teams of 4
Expected outcomes and deliverables
  • Conduct a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) for a specific business process.
  • Develop a cybersecurity risk management plan tailored to a company's needs.
  • Create a compliance audit checklist based on relevant privacy and security regulations.
  • Design an incident response plan for a simulated cyber attack scenario.
Project timeline
  • September 8, 2025
    Experience start
  • October 28, 2025
    Mid-term check-in with employer
  • December 13, 2025
    Experience end

Project examples

  • Analyze and improve the cybersecurity posture of a small to medium-sized enterprise (SME).
  • Develop a vendor risk management framework for a company using cloud services.
  • Conduct a tabletop exercise to test a company's incident response capabilities.
  • Create a data classification and lifecycle management strategy for a business.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of a company's current cybersecurity policies and suggest enhancements.
  • Design a training module on phishing and social engineering awareness for employees.
  • Analyze a recent Canadian data breach and propose a response strategy for a similar incident.

Additional company criteria

Companies must answer the following questions to submit a match request to this experience:

  • Q1 - Multiple choice
    How concerned are you about the risk of a cyber breach within your organization?  *
    • Very concerned – we feel vulnerable and want a clear action plan
    • Somewhat concerned – we’ve taken some steps, but want to strengthen our approach
    • Not very concerned – we believe our systems are secure
  • Q2 - Text short
    Do you currently have a documented incident response or breach management plan?  *
  • Q3 - Text short
    Are you willing to share an overview of your operations and IT infrastructure with students (non-sensitive, of course)?  *
  • Q4 - Text short
    Does someone on your team have the technical knowledge to explain your current IT systems and answer related student questions?  *
  • Q5 - Text long
    Can you describe one or two business systems or processes that you feel are most at risk in the event of a data breach (e.g., customer database, payment processing, internal communications)?
  • Q6 - Text short
    Are you available for at least 2–3 check-ins with students throughout the term (including kickoff, midterm, and final presentation)?  *