Jeremy Kaplan
As the online world continues to grow and expand, there are many positives that it brings to our lives. But one of the negatives is the growth of cyber-crime in its many forms. This type of crime continues to grow by large numbers every year and means that if you are considering your career path or a change in career, working in cyber security and forensics is a major growth area in terms of job opportunities. But what does this kind of work entail?
Jobs statistics
According to statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2016, there were some 200,000 jobs available in the cyber security arena in the US alone while Cisco said that this number was closer to 1,000,000. They further said there were some 6,000,000 jobs globally in this area.
Forbes magazine rates the cyber security industry to be one of the fastest growing employment segments in IT as well as one that comes with six figure wages and a great deal of scope for promotion and improvement. US News and World Report rated cyber security as 8th on its list of the 100 best jobs.
What the job entails
The cyber security expert and the cyber forensics specialist have quickly become some of the most in-demand people as everyone from governments to big business to wealthy individuals want to ensure the safety of their data and online presence. From global cyber criminals and hackers to terrorists and their supports, cyber security specialists have plenty of enemies to combat and this makes for a high-intensity job with plenty to keep you challenged.
Typical duties for a cyber security expert might include:
- Helping to include security in software at the developmental stages for systems, networks and data centers
- Helping assess vulnerabilities in existing hardware and software
- Offering assistance in securing the IT infrastructure of a business, organization or government department
- Monitoring for attacks and intrusions
- Working with authorities to help find perpetrators and bring them to justice
The right training
Training and qualifications are definitely key to getting this kind of role as you need to prove you can do the various tasks required. This means training at a college or university that can offer a dedicated Cyber Security and Forensics course that covers basics such as Windows operating systems, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and other current hardware and software.
It is also important that you build on the diploma you receive with Microsoft certificates as well as training that allows you to focus on a specific area.
