When you download any mobile application, it requests you to Sign Up before using its services. We immediately provide our mobile number, email id, and sometimes link our Facebook profile to register instantly and start using the app. While this may seem like a one-minute formality, millions of people are sharing their personal information online.
Companies collect this information and use it to better understand their customers and offer a more personalized user experience. But what’s the other side of this activity? Well, there is a dangerous part of the internet called the dark web where malicious hackers are trying to steal a company’s sensitive data.
Cyberattacks are happening at an alarming rate, and companies have realized that they need to invest in cybersecurity to deal with them. From job opportunities, academic courses to portrayals in series, cybersecurity has gained a lot of attention. It is an answer to the growing world of criminals who make use of online information for all wrong reasons. Cybersecurity refers to the process of securing an organization’s systems, edge devices, and networks from possible intrusion and creating a robust security infrastructure to deal with cyberattacks.
As companies are accelerating their digital transformation, a massive amount of data is at risk, and more harm can be caused than ever. The need for seasoned cybersecurity pros is dire with every passing day to help ensure security for organizations. This high demand coupled with talent scarcity has resulted in high salaries and excellent perks for skilled cybersecurity aspirants. Many of them are taking cyber security training to step into this field and leverage the rewarding opportunities available.
This article will let you know how a career in cybersecurity is and how you can move ahead in this domain.
A Career in Cybersecurity
When it comes to securing the assets of a company, data is a major entity business leaders try to secure, irrespective of the industry vertical in which they operate. The ultimate goal of an organization is to ensure the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of its business data. They hire experts, adopt different tools and technologies, and monitor their processes in this regard. They hire cybersecurity professionals who can develop, configure, and troubleshoot various technologies, including firewall/IPS, network analytics, encryption, authentication, and identity access management.
A cybersecurity team can consist of professionals skilled in various areas. Some of the important job roles you will find in this domain are:
- Information security analyst
- Ethical hacker
- IT security consultant
- Systems administrator
- IT security engineer
- IT auditor
- Incident responder
- Forensic analyst
- Chief Information Security officer
Some of the above roles are suitable for entry-level professionals, while others require years of experience in IT security.
Surveys predict that cyberattacks can cause huge losses to organizations across the world, approximately USD 6 trillion by 2021. Evidently, cybersecurity talent has become a hot commodity these days. You will also be surprised to know that the number of available cybersecurity opportunities would need to grow by around 145% to meet the demands of the market globally. This data was highlighted in Cybersecurity Workforce Study conducted by the renowned institute (ISC)2. The study also highlighted that there would be an estimated gap of 4.07 million cybersecurity professionals in the future.
If the trends of the latest (ISC)2 study are to be believed, around 64% of the organizations have reported that they have a shortage of dedicated cybersecurity staff. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, around 48% of the organizations have planned to increase their cybersecurity staffing in the future. Such demand is seen in the IT industry and in various sectors like financial services, government agencies, manufacturing, healthcare, and consulting.
Apart from the demand and other factors, one thing that most professionals are concerned about is the salary. In this case, too, cybersecurity will not disappoint you. Referring to the same (ISC)2 study, you will come to know that cybersecurity professionals earn an average base pay of USD 83,000 per year globally. The average salary is the highest in North America, amounting to USD 112,000 per annum. While the average salary varies according to a number of factors like age, location, and type of organization, one thing to notice here is the effect of cybersecurity certification on the salary.
Professionals holding cybersecurity certifications have an average annual pay of USD 85,000, while those who do not hold any certification earn quite less, about USD 67,000 per year. If you are confused, here are some of the top cybersecurity certifications that help in improving your salary prospects.
- Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
- CompTIA Security+ certification
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
- Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
- Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)
Bottom Line
Reading the above information, you must be convinced that cybersecurity right ticks all the expectations you can have regarding a promising career. Migration to the cloud and accelerating companies’ digital transformation initiatives would further lead to increased demand for cybersecurity professionals in the years to come. Most cybersecurity professionals are already planning to pursue some sort of security-related certifications to take their careers ahead. There is always the option of taking online cybersecurity training to prepare for such certification exams. All that is required is to enroll in one reputed course and validate your knowledge.