2 minute read
IRM Viewpoint
Digital risk qualification
With rapid technological changes disrupting all sectors, IRM is responding with a new Certificate in Digital Risk Management, as Carolyn Williams explains
Are we about to see a fourth industrial revolution? Our recent Risk Agenda 2025 research highlighted technological change as the biggest driver of uncertainty for organisations today. From self-driving cars to online medical consultations, new technologies including the internet of things, blockchain, artificial intelligence, robotics and data analytics are starting to transform how things are done and present us with a new landscape of opportunity and risk. Change has always been with us, but there is a feeling that what we are facing now is more extreme. This arises from both the speed of developments and the profound impacts they are likely to have on business models and on human activity.
Our research also uncovered that less than 40 per cent of the risk management community feel well equipped to understand these changes and support their organisations in this area. Part of our response to this is “Don’t panic!” – the basic principles of good risk management will stay the same – the fundamental approach of building resilient organisations with robust processes, a healthy risk culture and strong risk communications will still be very much required, albeit able to move at a faster clock speed. The context, however, is certainly shifting with new risks to address and the potential for new tools and techniques to help.
Later this year IRM will be launching its new Certificate in Digital Risk Management. This qualification has been designed to equip risk practitioners and others to apply their skills in an increasingly digital world. We are working with leading academic and practitioner experts to develop world class study material which will cover how new technologies and digitalisation are disrupting businesses and changing the risk environment for organisations of all types. It will look at how to carry out digital risk assessments, provide a detailed grounding in cyber security principles and practices and also look at the ethical issues surrounding both privacy and machine learning.
The qualification will – naturally – be delivered and examined globally on a fully online basis. It will be a relatively quick qualification to obtain, involving a multiple choice question examination and about 180 hours of study over approximately six months. It has been designed on a standalone basis to provide both a supplementary “future-proofing” qualification for our existing members as part of their continuing professional development
and also as an introduction to the subject for those from other disciplines. Enrolment will open in autumn 2018, and this will be publicised widely at that time, although you can get yourself added to our pre-registration list by contacting IRM. We are also interested in identifying potential examiners, question setters and module coaches, drawing on the skills that we have in our community.
A combination of great risk management skills together with an up-to-date knowledge of the digital risk landscape should be an unbeatable combination for tomorrow’s risk management jobs.
