The practice of protecting computer systems, servers, electronic systems, mobile devices and data from virus attacks is known as cyber security. Cyber security aims to reduce the possibility of cyber-attacks and provides protection against the misuse of networks, systems and technologies.
Choosing a career in cyber security actually means being associated with a highly booming industry where all the available jobs are outnumbered by qualified candidates. As cyber security grows continuously in importance, the availability of specialised roles is also increasing.
Prerequisites Needed For a Career in Cyber Security
There is quite a noticeable lack of professional cyber security people who can handle daily challenges. For this reason, having a career in the field of cyber security is highly demanding and extremely rewarding as well.
A lot of companies are searching for skilled professionals in cyber security. Having a bachelor’s degree is important in a technical domain. However, if one does not have a proper relevant degree, one can always choose to do relevant cyber security courses and then start one’s journey in cyber security. Some other skills, for example, networking and having a knowledge of different operating systems are necessary for one’s growth of their cyber security career.
Skills Required For Cyber Security
Before looking at all the kinds of different jobs available in the career path of cyber security, it is important to understand the crucial skills that are required for the growth of one’s career in this field.
- For becoming an expert in cyber security, one should understand VPN, firewalls, IDS/IPS and Web proxies.
- One needs to be quite savvy with different coding languages like Python, Java, PHP and HTML.
- One should have a thorough knowledge of routing protocols, encryption techniques and networking.
- A practitioner of cyber security should understand all the best practices used for Identity and Access Management (IAM).
- It is important for the professionals of cyber security to know Database Management Systems and SQL and acquire problem-solving skills.
Top Five Cyber Security Job Roles:
The Job Role of Network Engineer
- Network engineers make computer networks for a company. They first install, then configure and then support the network equipment.
- They also configure switches, routers and firewalls. This kind of entry-level job in cyber security might also help one to start one’s journey of becoming an ethical hacker.
- According to Glassdoor, a network engineer’s annual average salary in India is around INR 510000 and in the US, the annual average salary is around $85098.
The Job Role of Information Security Analyst
- For an information security analyst, one’s main duty is protecting sensitive information. Security analysts carry out plans for stopping cyber-attacks.
- They ensure compliance with policies. Depending on a specific cyber threat, they decide whether it should be resolved or taken further.
- According to Indeed, the annual salary of an information security analyst in India is INR 642000 and in the US, it is $89140.
The Job Role of Ethical Hacking
- Ethical hackers also have another name known as penetration teasers. Their work is very similar to the network security consultants who identify the system vulnerabilities and then exploit them, exactly like a hacker.
- Using various penetration tools and software, they test the networks. They construct new penetration tools and then record the test results.
- An ethical hacking certification course can land jobs for this role with an annual average income of $93000 in the US and INR 500000 in India.
The Job Role of Security Architect
- Security architects first research and then propose the elements of security for their organisations. They create robust structures of security that have the ability to prevent attacks from malware.
- A security architect then approves the installation of VPN, firewalls and routers. They make the company guidelines, user guides and procedures.
- According to Payscale, in the US, security architects earn around $124000 annually on average and they would earn around INR 2180000 annually on an average basis.
The Job Role of Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
- In an organisation, there are senior-level officers as well. Their work is to ensure the safety of the information and maintain, develop and implement information security as well as risk management programs.
- They have interactions with stakeholders and brief them on a regular basis about all the information security concerns.
- According to payscale, a Chief Information Security Officer earns around $165000 annually on an average basis in the US, and in India, they earn around INR 2222845 annually on an average basis.
Conclusion
By the year 2025, almost 60% of organisations will tend to use cyber security risk as a primary determinant for making business engagements and third-party transactions. Almost 80% of enterprises will take up strategies to unify web and cloud services. Hence, there is a booming career in cyber security in the recent future and the IIT Roorkee Cybersecurity course is a perfect option for getting a certificate in this field.
