Coursework or a degree in computer science, computer engineering or electrical engineering can get you started. You can pursue courses in cybersecurity, beginning with Cisco’s free “Introduction to Cybersecurity.” As you gain more education and earn more certifications, you’ll have more employment and salary opportunities. Technology giant Cisco points out that the success of any organization is increasingly dependent upon the success and capability of its network, including hardware and software as well as all the data that is collected and stored. The job of the cybersecurity specialist involves the creation, implementation, testing and analysis of the effectiveness of security systems. An employer might want candidates to have gained specific certificates, as these can teach you particular essential skills. Also, even if one of these certificates isn’t required for a role, it may still be preferable, or at least beneficial.

• Wiz developed their cloud-native Cloud Infrastructure Security Platform to focus on the needs of virtualized infrastructure, containers, and the cloud.
• A 12-month contract for the Cloud Infrastructure Security Platform is listed on the AWS marketplace as starting at $24,000 for the Wiz Essential offering and $38,000 for the Wiz Advanced offering..
• Vulnerability scans (vulscans) play a critical role in protecting assets from attacker exploitation by identifying missing updates, misconfigurations, and other common security issues.
• Workforce demand for computer security specialists is high in all verticals, including corporations, schools, medical practices, and government agencies.
• We have compiled all the relevant information about the security specialist role, so you can decide whether this is the ideal career path for you.

Nonetheless, these roles are vital and cybersecurity specialists are worth their weight in gold when a question or problem emerges within their particular area of expertise. If the above description of a security specialist’s role and skill set appeals to you, what steps should you take to get started on this career path? Below is a five-stage process that will take you from a point of being inexperienced in cyber security to getting hired as a security specialist.

IT Security Specialist Career Path & Training

As experts in cybersecurity, these specialists help to create, analyze and deploy organizational security systems. Cybersecurity specialists test for areas of potential exposure in interconnected computer networks, document their findings and provide solutions for vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity specialists perform crucial work in protecting sensitive digital https://remotemode.net/become-a-security-specialist/ information and communications. These professionals work with public and private employers of all sizes to ensure the safety of data for customers, government entities and healthcare organizations. The actual job description of a security specialist can be hard to pin down, because these specialists may have varying duties based on their actual position.

From each category, we selected the best options at the time of writing in our analysis. For open source and SMB-friendly tools, two each were selected; one for IT infrastructure and one for applications. The addition of features, new pricing tiers, and other product changes will force this list to evolve over time and an organization will always need to compare available features against existing needs. StackHawk offers more limited scanning options than some other website and application tools, but also offers a free tier to kick start a DevSec program quickly. RapidFire Tools focus on multi-tenant capabilities needed by MSPs and MSSPs to support the needs of many clients.

IT Security Specialist Job Description

Whether it is something you are striving for before college, or making a job transition, be prepared by garnering as much knowledge as possible about what companies are looking for in potential employees. Major job requirements can widely vary among employers and you might miss the opportunity to build up your work experience and knowledge before making the leap toward a senior or management position. Whatever option you choose, a security specialist role may be a career that offers many opportunities. https://remotemode.net/s need strong communication skills, as they are responsible for educating technical and non-technical staffers on cybersecurity protocols and raising information security awareness. In today’s era of rapidly escalating threats and sophisticated cyber warfare, organizations must be vigilant in combating attackers and protecting information assets. Once you’ve gained a security specialist position, you can then start to think about the rest of your career development.

If your career goals include obtaining a more senior role in a cyber security team, then you’ll need to deepen your knowledge and refine your skills. Over the next few years, you can continue your education, such as by studying for an online Master’s degree in cyber security or one or more of the above certificates. Without much experience working in the cyber security field, you’ll probably need to apply for entry-level IT or cyber security positions.

Salary Expectations for an IT Security Specialist

For more information on Vulnerability Manager Plus and competing SMB-friendly vulnerability scanning tools, read Best SMB Vulnerability Scanning Tools. For more information on StackHawk and other SMB-friendly vulnerability scanning tools, read Best Small and Medium-sized Business (SMB) Vulnerability Scanning Tools. For more information on RapidFire VulScan and other MSP/MSSP-friendly vulnerability scanning tools, read Best MSP / MSSP Vulnerability Scanning Tool Options. For more information on OpenVAS and other open-source vulnerability scanning tools read 10 Best Open-Source Vulnerability Scanners for 2023.