With the cyber security sector growing rapidly, there are more career opportunities for IT professionals.
Employers are competing for skilled cyber security professionals, which is driving up salaries for people with the requisite skills and qualifications. IT professionals are in a particularly good position to exploit the growing cyber security skills gap, as they already understand many of the technical issues. However, before they can walk into a job, they’ll need to boost their industry knowledge.
If you’re thinking about a career in cyber security, here are a few things to consider.
What is cyber security?
Cyber security refers to the technologies, processes and mechanisms designed to protect systems, networks and data.
The stakes of effective cyber security should be obvious. Data breaches make the headlines almost daily, and organisations are struggling to keep up with cyber criminals’ methods. Technological defences help, but they aren’t foolproof. Therefore, organisations need robust cyber security strategies effective management systems and expert staff.
Why join the sector?
Cyber security is still relatively young and evolving, which makes for exciting and prosperous careers. Salaries are high if you have the right qualifications and experience, and jobs usually come with a lot of responsibility and opportunities to develop new technical and managerial skills. It’s also rewarding, as you’re helping organisations stay safe and avoid mistakes.
Best of all, the demand for skilled professionals is only going to increase, meaning you can grow with the industry.
What qualifications do I need?
The qualifications you need will depend on the career path you choose. For example, if you want to be an information security manager, a relevant ISO 27001 qualification is a must. If you’ll be helping an organisation comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), you’ll need to develop PCI DSS implementation skills.
As you develop your career and accumulate experience, you can consider gaining more senior qualifications, such as CISA®, CISM®, CISMP and CISSP®. CompTIA® qualifications have also become more valuable for information security managers in recent years.
Find the right qualification for you with our training course overview >>
