Digital services are becoming more complex, while Norway lacks the expertise needed to keep pace. Nkom highlights a growing skills gap in digital and technological fields. Noroff is now introducing a January intake for its bachelor’s degree in Digital Assurance and Security Management.
When digital services fail, the people who depend on them feel the consequences. Businesses can lose access to essential systems, customer information can fall into the wrong hands, and services we take for granted can grind to a halt.
Security depends on more than the technology in place. Someone needs to understand where an organisation is vulnerable, set requirements for suppliers and check whether security measures actually work.
In its 2026 risk and vulnerability analysis, the Norwegian Communications Authority, Nkom, describes how complex supply chains and reliance on specialist expertise create security challenges. The report also cites analyses indicating a growing skills gap in digital and technological fields in Norway.
For Noroff, this sends a clear signal about the importance of educating more people who understand both the technology and the responsibilities that come with it. The January intake for Digital Assurance and Security Management gives more people the opportunity to develop precisely this expertise.
A growing need for expertise
In its 2026 risk and vulnerability analysis, the Norwegian Communications Authority, Nkom, highlights a growing skills gap in digital and technological fields in Norway.
The report also describes how complex supply chains make security more challenging to manage. An organisation may have effective control over its own systems yet remain exposed through suppliers and subcontractors. Clear security requirements, systematic monitoring and an understanding of risk throughout the supply chain are therefore essential.
This is where security management comes in. Someone needs to ask the right questions before an agreement is signed, assess the implications of technology choices and check whether measures work in practice.
[Proposed quote for Emlyn Butterfield – subject to approval before publication:]
– Organisations need people who understand the technology and can assess what it means for the organisation. Where are the risks? What requirements do we need to set? And how do we check whether our security measures work? This connection between technical insight and sound decision-making is what makes the field so important.
New solutions call for fresh assessments
Forrester’s report Predictions 2027: Technology & Security points towards a future in which control over data and digital services plays a greater role in organisations’ technology choices.
The research firm expects digital sovereignty requirements to drive greater localisation of enterprise software in 2027. This concerns issues such as where data is stored, which regulations govern services and how solutions are adapted to local needs. While this is a forecast, it illustrates the questions organisations need to address when choosing technology.
For those working in digital security, this means assessing technical solutions in a wider context. A system may function well yet still present challenges around access, supplier dependency or information handling.
These are precisely the connections students will learn to understand.
Understanding systems and the responsibilities behind them
Digital Assurance and Security Management combines an understanding of technology with risk management, IT auditing and business insight.
During the bachelor’s programme, students first build a foundation in IT and business processes. They then progress to subjects including cyber risk, security management, auditing and compliance. The programme prepares students for work assessing, monitoring and improving organisations’ digital security.
This could involve examining how an organisation protects information, identifying weaknesses in its procedures or helping management make better-informed decisions about which security measures to prioritise.
These skills are therefore valuable before anything goes wrong. The aim is to help organisations adopt technology with a clear understanding of the risks and responsibilities involved.
A new opportunity to get started
The January intake offers another route into the programme for those who want to develop expertise in digital security management without waiting until autumn.
As more organisations come to depend on digital services, they also need people who can examine, challenge and improve how security is managed. Through this programme, Noroff aims to help more people take on that role.
Want to help organisations operate more securely in a digital world? Read more about Digital Assurance and Security Management and the opportunity to start your studies in January.
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