Cyber Security in recent times has attracted lots of attention due to its portrayal in movies and series to job opportunities.
It was once considered a speciality with government agencies and defence contractors and has now entered the mainstream. Various industries like retail, health care and manufacturing are hiring cybersecurity professionals to protect sensitive information from cyber-attacks and breaches.
The Rising Need for Cyber Security Professionals
According to a Forbes report in 2016, Cyber Attacks have become a problem for different industries like hospitals, healthcare, government, transportation, financial services and insurance. The increasing threats to the energy industry were also highlighted.
Hackers identify the security weaknesses to collect private information about social security and credit card numbers, medical information, passwords and companies secrets. Hackers then sell this information to the highest bidder or ransom it back to the stolen company.
Hence the need for cybersecurity professionals arises because of their expertise in data security. The demand is high and India provides a broad opportunity for these professionals in comparison to other Asia-Pacific countries.
Who is a Cyber Security Specialist?
She/he is an IT professional whose main task is maintaining the safety and security of a business’s software and network’s security system. This responsibility encompasses creating, testing, implementing and examining the effectiveness of different security systems.
These specialists evaluate continuously the organization’s security along with supporting the other employees to be abreast of best security practices.
Responsibilities
- Analyze and assessment of potential security threats to businesses.
- Monitor and evaluate business networks for prevention of sensitive data from getting leaked.
- Application of security measures like firewalls, passwords and encryption for secure data storage and avoid security breaches.
- Develop technical reports and educate about the importance of cyber security to other departments.
- Be on par the latest news on international security through media.
- Ensure the networks and computers are safe from bugs and updated.
- Continuous monitoring and tracking of security systems and networks for irregularities.
Required Education
- Associate degree in Cyber Security that is helpful to work as a computer support technician.
- Bachelor’s degree in cyber security, computer sciences, computer engineering or mathematics.
- Master’s degree in Cyber Security that provides awareness to the students.
- Sc Degree in cyber security for aspirants with strong foundation in computer sciences. This degree opens up the opportunity to combine their knowledge in computer sciences with applied research in IT industry.
- Cyber Security Technical Certifications are required such as:
- EC-Council Network Security Administrator
- Cisco Certified Network Associate – Routing and Switching
- Certified Information Security Manager
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional
- CompTIA’s popular base-level security certification
Essential Soft and Technical skills
- Expertise in computer operating systems along with hardware and software.
- Secure coding practices and good understanding of security principles.
- Computer Routing and Switching.
- Excellent Problem-solving skills.
- Ability to work well under pressure.
- Risks Analysis.
- Network protocols
- Malicious codes.
- Intruder techniques
Top career paths in Cyber Security
As digital transformation is making the world wonder-struck with latest technological advancements, cyber security has become a point of concern for almost all industries that are employing qualified professionals to prevent cyber attacks to their systems.
The following are the job roles you can pursue as a Cyber security professional.
- Security Specialist
- Incident responder
- Security Analyst
- Security Administrator
- Security Manager
- Security Auditor
- Forensic Expert
- Vulnerability Assessor
- Penetration Tester/Ethical Hacker
- Security Engineer
- Chief Information Security Officer
Average Salary and Career Outlook
According to PayScale, in their recent questionnaire, most of the cybersecurity professionals have responded that they are at a greater level of job satisfaction.
Also, the report says that cybersecurity specialists are paid according to factors like experience, responsibility and geographic settings. The salary of these professionals ranges from $45,644 to $115,841. The average salary is $74,140.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 32% growth rate for information security analysts between 2018 and 2028. This growth rate is fastest than other occupations and showcases the increasing need for cybersecurity experts across all fields and careers.
Presently there is a huge demand for cybersecurity experts in different sectors like public and private sectors, multi-national banks, small independent businesses. This is a rapidly evolving field and there is good potential to work in various industries as a cybersecurity expert.
It is advisable for an entry-level cybersecurity expert to start with a fresher IT role like in networking and gain relevant experience by working on varied IT infrastructures. This will lead to well-paid managerial roles and improve your abilities to work with large corporate clients.
– Samiya Firdous
