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How to Become a Computer Security Specialist?
As business dependency on technology and cloud security increases, security specialists are now becoming more critical. These professionals take care of the organisation’s cyber security needs, keeping eyes on current security networks to make sure sensitive and personal information is secured through systems.
In this guide, we will find out what a security specialist is, their job descriptions, the average salary in the UK, how to become one, essential skills you need to have, and so much more.
Are you ready? Without further ado, let’s dive in!
What is a Security Specialist?
A security specialist, also referred to as a cyber security specialist or an IT security specialist creates and executes security measures for a business or professional organisation. Your goal as a security specialist is to evaluate existing security processes and recommend modifications to upper management for enhancing efficiency and overall security.
These security specialists can get employment in a wide array of governmental, commercial, and non-profit organisations. To qualify for the position, you will more likely require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a related subject.
Nonetheless, many employers or potential employers may also request the accomplishments of specific certificates. Still, they can offer you a leg up when applying for jobs even if such added qualifications are not needed.
Most of the jobs of a cyber security specialist overlap with those of someone working around IT because their work’s nature is closely connected to technology and computers.
Like most positions associated with security, IT or cyber security professionals depend massively on teamwork because of the broad spectrum of the computer science field and the security measures that should be applied to it.
We have gathered all the essential details about the role of a cyber security specialist. That will help you decide whether it is the perfect career path for you. We also share the position’s crucial soft and hard skills, data on salary expectations, and the qualifications needed.
What Does a Security Specialist Do?
Your job as a security specialist is to offer support to the organisation by helping to defend and safeguard its technological assets or internal network security system.
A vital part of this position is knowing how to find holes within the existing system. They research and suggest the ideal software and hardware for the organisation to buy and install to prevent such holes.
Keep in mind that a security specialist works in all areas of information technology. For instance, you might work in cyber architectural design, software development, or even in computer forensics.
Irrespective of which department you’re related to, your job expectations will be the same: locate threats, recommend solutions, create defence tactics, and conduct other IT related tasks.
In other ways, you will be the first line of defence of the organisation’s security against any cyber attacks as you continue to outsmart the hackers and keep one step ahead of the game. Here are just a few examples of everyday tasks a security specialist is needed to complete:
1.Learn about the information that should be protected:
- explain the security measures taken to staff using non-technical language
- identify security measures fitted for the type of information
2.Defend personal or sensitive data from unauthorised use or access:
- report accidents
- run counteractive protocols
- track systems for abnormal activities
- design defensive systems and strategies against intruders
- determine potential security risks
3.Test security defences and strategies:
- try to break through firewalls and other security software
- attempt to break in to uncover possible weaknesses
- try to access data without wrong credentials
4.Create new defensive systems and protocols:
- develop new counteractive protocols
- update security systems
- make new layers of protection
5. Analyse new strategies of intrusion by cybercriminals:
- take the needed precautions, update and fortify defences accordingly
- keep updated on new trends and new processes within the industry
6.Grant privileges and permissions to authorised users
7.Run necessary diagnostics on data changes to check for undetected data breaches that may have taken place
What Technical Skills are Required?
There’s no doubt that technical skills are vital for an IT specialist. Please note that IT is a discipline where staff should be comfortable working with complicated processes, systems and concepts. Thus, it would help if you sifted through your resumes correspondingly and adequately.
What’s more, information technology is a broad discipline. That’s why the skills you need in this area will massively depend on the role you are planning to pursue. Security specialist could cover a wide array of positions that involves:
- IT Security Specialists
- Database Administrators
- Network Engineers
- System or Security Analyst
- IT Technicians
- QA Testers
- Computer Scientists
- Software Engineers
Each group has their unique set of specialist skills, knowledge, and processes you need to consider. You will also find some technical proficiencies that are typical of most cyber security positions. These includes:
Cyber security
Of course, a comprehensive skills and know-how of the current cyber security concerns, best practices, and software is necessary if you are hiring a security specialist. You need to expect all your IT team to uphold, demonstrate, and support IT security practices across the organisation.
All cyber security specialists must also learn how cyber security problems impact their expertise and apply that knowledge to their daily activities.
Methodology
If an organisation hires a cyber security specialist, they should also look for familiarity with the way their business works—or proof that they can adapt to that.
If the company’s IT function runs on Agile or DevOps methodology, they will need a specialist who can keep up with the pace of development and, of course, sprint mode of working.
Coding
Likely, an IT specialist should at least know the procedure of writing code to perform the job well. Even if you are not writing a considerable amount of code, familiarity with primary languages such as C++ and HTML will come in handy.
What Soft Skills are Required?
It is simple to believe that hiring security specialists is just about technical skills and that it is a shortage of skills that make excellent IT hires challenging to come by. While that is a fact, software skills such as communication and teamwork make a great security specialist stand out from an average one.
Soft skills refer to habits and traits that inform how a person works, both with others and independently. That includes interpersonal skills, work ethic, and personality traits.
Here are the top soft skills you need to develop if you like to become a cyber security professional.
Adaptability
The world around us is developing and transforming every second of the day. In the world of IT security, everything changes just as quick. Employees continuously have to learn more about trends, reorganise, and change tasks and processes according to new technologies.
Proactivity
Did you know that being proactive indicates taking well-organised actions to accomplish your goals? It also suggests concentrating on the essential, not only the urgent ones. A mix of the qualities of being responsible, being aware, and proactive.
Ability to focus and mindfulness
You must measure first where the issue might appear, so you have enough time to solve them. An attention person gets more things done within a day and does not waste any time. You need to concentrate on the task at hand and immerse yourself in it to be productive as possible.
Critical thinking
It is the ability to discuss your point of view and observation, apply analytical skills and focus on learning information in various scenarios. Unforeseen security issues may arise while working on a project. It’s crucial not to panic, properly evaluate the situation and pick the right solutions.
Discipline
Discipline in information technology security means the ability to prioritise tasks and time management. It’s crucial to handle time and know-how to distribute your efforts, especially when many projects are parallel.
Empathy
Learning complicated processes and systems will come much more straightforward to an IT specialist than some regular employees. That chasm in familiarity needs good communication skills to overcome, especially if you will be working in people-facing capacities such as IT support.
That’s why you must have the ability to explain security issues, software use, and processes clearly to a non-technical audience very efficiently.
What Qualifications are Required?
The specialised qualification criteria to become a cyber security analyst vary depending on the institution or region you like to operate in.
Education
A security analyst has a bachelor’s degree in information or computer science. Others earn degrees in management information systems or systems analysis. An associate degree might be enough as well to qualify you for other security specialist jobs.
The essence of your security career is learning how to work with numerous operating systems like Mac OS X, UNIX, and Windows and install software and hardware like hard drives and modems. Learning to troubleshoot hardware and software issues is also essential to your career success.
Training
Security specialists train for at least three months after they’re hired. Nonetheless, year-long training might be necessary for organisations with a more extensive and more complicated computer system. Your training might be done in computer labs and classrooms, helping you obtain practical and theoretical relevant experience.
You’re also anticipated to attend seminars and workshops continuously to stay updated with new hardware and software systems in this field.
Advancement and relevant certifications
Certification as a security specialist usually is not needed, but other organisations prefer it. It also boosts your employment opportunities. It might also help you further into higher-level positions, like computer systems administrator overseeing all company servers and IT functions, or software developer making software programs for different applications like payroll systems and database security management.
What is the Average Salary for a Security Specialist in the UK?
The national average salary for an IT or cyber security specialist in the United Kingdom is £46,819 per year. But keep in mind that this figure will fluctuation depending on the market within your specific region or organisation.
Nevertheless, a cyber security specialist will collect some generous pay regardless of the range.
Final Words
To sum up, any security is required for everybody and most things. With alarm or lock systems, you secure your home. With insurance, you safeguard your car, and you defend your life by going to the hospital.
To protect its professional network protection infrastructure and software, a big company utilises a security specialist. As you’ll be the go-to person in charge of the overall security of your company’s records, an Information Security Analyst is an intelligent career route to take to begin your IT security career.
Today, the world is becoming more independent of mobile computing and the internet to perform their regular activities. That’s why the question of security is becoming more necessary and urgent. As a result, that also raises the demand for more security specialists.
We hope you find this guide informative and helpful. Please share your thoughts with us by leaving your comments below!
