5 Cybersecurity Career Options All Tech Geeks Should Explore

In today’s fast-paced digital world, the rate of sophisticated, high-level cyber-attacks has increased exponentially. And while businesses are moving to Internet-based computing, the need for cybersecurity professional is also skyrocketing. When it comes to protecting proprietary data as well as customer information, companies cannot compromise with anything. If you are a cybersecurity enthusiast, it is without a doubt is the correct time to start a career in the domain.

Here are some of the most in-demand cybersecurity career option

Network Security Engineer

A network security engineer is one of the most in-demand cybersecurity job roles in the industry right now. It is a critical position within every organization and is responsible for the deployment, configuration, and administration of network and security-related both hardware and software. A network security engineer also keeps an eye on firewalls, routers, network monitoring tools, and VPNs, along with vulnerabilities identification, and automation improvement. Prerequisites: The candidate should have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, software engineering, systems engineering, information systems, or related fields. S/he should also have a CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) certification.

Application Security Engineer

Application security engineers one of the vital players of an organisations cybersecurity infrastructure. They spend most of their time dealing with software. Simply put, application security engineers are responsible for securing software applications that are developed and offered by the organization as software services for internal employees or even for the customers. From static code analysis to dynamic code analysis to penetration testing, an application security engineer doesn’t leave a single stone unturned to ensure software security.   Prerequisites: A bachelor’s degree in an IT-related subject is definitely a must-have. But apart from that, the candidate must know multiple programming languages that are used in software development. Also, have a hacker-like mindset to find loopholes and vulnerabilities and different ways the software can be hacked.

Cybersecurity Analyst

Cybersecurity analysts are always on the front lines of an organisation’s security infrastructure. A cybersecurity analyst is basically responsible for finding the ultimate solutions to some of the complex cybersecurity problems an organisation faces. As data breaches continue to increase year by year, organizations across the world are hiring cyber security analysts in order to have a quick and in-depth analysis of incidents. Using some of the sophisticated tools and other sources, a cybersecurity analyst looks for security threats, and developing strategies and methods to cope. Prerequisites: Apart from having a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, software engineering, or a related field, a candidate must have significant knowledge of penetration testing, intrusion prevention, incident response, computer forensics and reverse engineering.

Information Security Managers

Even the most successful and big businesses fall prey to hackers, and with that, it's crucial for companies to have a strong cybersecurity architecture. A cybersecurity manager is someone who is responsible for implementing and overseeing the cybersecurity program. Simply put, they work on establishing strong network security policies and procedures, and also focuses on regulating access to information and training staff on the proper use of information systems.  Prerequisites: A bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, software engineering, or a related field is a must. If in case, you don't have the technical degree, you could consider opting to bag a master's degree with a concentration in IT security. Also, the candidate needs to have a significant amount of experience working in the cyber security domain. S/he should also know the nuts and bolts of different defensive as well as offensive strategies to ensure a strong security architecture.

Cybersecurity Consultant

A cybersecurity consultant is not most of the time employed by in-house security teams, they are either associated with external or third-party security consulting firms. One can even become a freelance security consultant; however, that would need way more hustle. Basically, the job role of a cybersecurity consultant is to perform a wide range of tasks on an organisations cybersecurity infrastructure and review each and every point. And once done, they provide the most feasible, effective solution to their pain-points. Nowadays, companies are relying more on consulting firm, rather than having an in-house department, as it saves a lot of time. Prerequisites: Earn a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, cybersecurity or a related field. If you don’t have a degree but have equivalent experience with relevant industry certifications, that would also do. Also, have cyber security-focused certification.