The internet connects hardware, software, and sensitive data. In recent years, this connectivity became indispensable and ubiquitous. A wide variety of businesses now rely on cutting edge technologies to earn profits. As a result, the demand for data analysts and security specialists experiences a very steep increase.

Cybersecurity has become a major concern for individuals and companies. Cybersecurity is a set of tools and practices that help to safeguard information during use, storage, and communication through various devices. An entity requires cybersecurity specialists to keep the data safe. How desperate are the companies? Between Jan 2019 and July 2019, around 4.1 billion records got exposed due to various types of data breaches (source). A company’s data is its asset and liability.

Career Options In Cybersecurity Sector

People assume a white hat hacker is the only cybersecurity job in the market. Security experts have to prevent and remedy various online threats. They analyze malicious email and phone calls. They also takedown phishing websites and clean up the internet. These professionals also handle unauthorized data access, viruses, malware, and identity theft.

The security consultants understand computers, software, operating systems, and networks. They are also good at programming, Cyber Piracy, security audits, and visualization software. One can also find jobs for security analysts, cyber breach investigators, researchers, and so on. In general, the job falls under two categories – pure cybersecurity and hybrid titles. The demand for pure cybersecurity professionals is very high, as it requires industry-specific skills.

Secure Career

But is a career in cybersecurity itself well-paid and secure? Let us look at a few statistics to assess the market demand and need of employers:

• In the last six years, job postings related to cybersecurity grew by 94%.
• These jobs now constitute more than 13% of all the IT jobs in the market (source)
• In India, there are close to 67,000 jobs for security professionals.
• Australian experts predict 21% growth in demand until May 2023.
• Also, there are more than 11,000 cybersecurity vacancies open, as of today.
• Every month more than 50,000 new cyber threats occur (Source)

Why The High Demand?

Almost all businesses operate web stores and professional sites to offer data, goods, and services. Start-ups and small companies are flourishing on the internet too. Cloud computing services are turning to be one of the basic requirements of any business.

All these advances created an expansive internet landscape. And digital information transmits at a rapid pace in this cyberspace. Every individual creates 1.7MB of information every second, according to a study in 2020 (source). This data is not only voluminous but also sensitive and valuable. It includes personal information, business contacts, bank transaction, financial data, etc.

The unethical hackers target businesses and individuals to steal data, shut down sites, or extract ransom money. On the other hand, you can find scammers on almost all internet platforms. The cost of falling victim to such fraud was $1.7 billion worldwide in 2018 (source). Thus, every business chooses to hire security experts to avoid such pitfalls.

Is it a secure field to set a career?

There are numerous niche business areas that bloomed and died within a decade. Is cybersecurity one such mushroom area? Well, experts have a different opinion. Here are the reasons why a career in this genre is safe and financially stable.

Job Designations

There is a job vacancy for all levels of expertise and experience. Technicians handle viruses, malware, while analysts look for bugs, defects, and breaches. Ethical hackers test code and detect weaknesses. The architects, specialists, and administrators handle AI, cloud security, and software safety. Other job titles are cryptographer, security officer, freelance/bounty hunter, software, and hardware engineers.

Career Mobility

Cybersecurity is vital for all industries. If you are tired of being a security analyst for a financial institute, you can move over to a corporate establishment. This mobility is available only in a handful of career lines. The skills and expertise you gain in one industry are applicable across the market. Thus, the opportunities for growth are very high. Since the opportunity for a candidate to switch jobs is high, employers tend to try and make the talent stick with the company.

High Salaries

A single data breach can cost up to $3.29 million in terms of money, time, resources, goodwill, and lost businesses. The cost of a breach is 14% more in 2020 than it was in 2014. Thus, companies try to retain their talents with high salaries, as the security team is the main asset. The highest level in this genre (varies from company to company) is the information security manager or head of cybersecurity, whose average salary is between $125,000 and $215,000 per year. Freshers start as an analyst or a trainee and can easily move up the ladder. An analyst’s average salary is $90,000 per annum, which is higher than most of the jobs with similar skill requirements (source).

As mentioned above, job vacancies are huge and growing. So, the attrition rate for the next few decades is close to zero or negative. So, a cybersecurity job is profitable, secure, and long-lasting.

Submitted by: Vladimir Petrov

Executives at small to mid-sized businesses that we have surveyed state that one of their top technology concerns continues to be security and privacy. Small to mid-sized businesses store vital data: client files, accounting records, corporate records, email communications, and more. Failing to back up this data or keep it secure can ruin a business.

Most small to mid-sized businesses have taken essential steps to consider security and privacy in all that they do. And still, they wonder if they are doing the right things. This article highlights the four biggest issues that small to mid-sized businesses face, and the simple steps they need to take to address these risks.

Risk #1: Data Backup and Storage. The costs of recreating lost data for a small to mid-sized business can be huge, both in terms of recovery and the cost to the firm’s public profile and image. For instance, a firm simply can’t afford to recreate three months of accounts receivable invoices.

Solution: It is crucial to have real-time, frequent backups and to confirm that data retrieval processes are working. Manual backups can be less expensive than automated backups, and equally reliable. At the same time, small to mid-sized businesses can’t overlook the process of retrieving backups. In fact, retrieving lost data often proves more risky than storing data in the first place, and is often overlooked by small to mid-sized businesses that focus more on data storage. It is essential to test retrieval of stored data on a regular basis.

Risk #2: Threats from internal sources. In the case of small to mid-sized businesses, threats from internal sources are often larger than threats from unknown hackers. We are aware of a number of cases of attempted fraud. For instance, an employee at one business managed to hack into escrow holding accounts, as well as private files containing owners private credit card numbers.

Solution: Only authorized users should be able to access vital data, a strict privacy and security policy should be in place, and businesses should be especially careful when adding and removing employees/users. Of course, most small to mid-sized businesses have created a network architecture with unique user names that is password driven. Unfortunately, we have found that many businesses have become complacent and sloppy with this type of system.

For instance, they share passwords or give each employee/partner the same password. Even businesses that do follow this system can go further by checking the log files on the servers and on applications, and by testing network security each time an employee comes or goes, to ensure that there has been no security breach.

Risk #3: Turnover of in-house technical resources. We have found small to mid-sized businesses experience turnover of their in-house technical resources every 12 to 18 months. Most of the time, these “technical” employees did not create written processes and procedures for security, or kept them inside their heads. Turnover of staff therefore can lead to decreased attention to privacy and security, and make a small to mid-sized businesses vulnerable.

Solution: Small to mid-sized businesses should have a formal, written procedure and set of standards in place for testing their system for breaches and risks. They should test their system regularly, and also check log files – especially during employee transitions. These standards and processes should have a life independent of any single employee.

Risk #4: Vendors, especially IT vendors. It is a secret in the IT world that many IT service providers create more security and privacy problems than they fix. That’s because they may lack good security procedures and, if they are vulnerable to hacking, so are their clients. Any vendor that connects to your systems can make you vulnerable to hackers.

Solution: Small to mid-sized businesses should screen all vendors, and especially IT vendors, to ensure that they have a secure infrastructure. Ask them how they connect to your computers in order to maintain security. Request their written policies and procedures about how they govern security and privacy. Find out how your security might be compromised if someone breaks into their system. Ask about how they recruit and screen their employees.

Conclusion: Don’t get complacent!

The solutions to privacy and security issues are technically straightforward. What is often lacking is a proactive, consistent approach to ensuring that security remains strong. In addition, it is challenging to find the right resources to be truly accountable for security and privacy. Due to turnover and other demands on their job, in-house technical resources are often not ideal candidates to handle these vital issues.

Conflicting demands on their time can lead to the appearance of security without actual compliance (e.g. passwords that people share; lack of written procedures and standards). When they leave, small to mid-sized businesses are vulnerable, often for some time. Meanwhile, many IT vendors lack the infrastructure and expertise to adequately secure small to mid-sized businesses firm’s vital data and applications. Small to mid-sized businesses must stay on top of Computer Security and privacy issues, and be sure that they follow a consistent set of policies and procedures.

About the Author: Vladimir Petrov – Chief Technology Advisor

minleys.net

Source:

isnare.com

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