Cybersecurity is going to be the hottest market for security professionals in 2019. With a need for more than 3 million IT security professionals, it is the perfect place to find cyber security jobs.
Sounds good?
Undoubtedly, it is good news for cyber security jobs aspirants. But these figures are a reflection of the sad state of the security standards of the cyber world in 2019.
In early May 2017, the world witnessed one of the massive cyberattacks, WannaCry. Within a couple of days, the ransomware attack spread across 150 countries infecting over 300,000 computer system.
Spanning the computer systems in the U.S. to that in Spain, the cyberattack led to damages worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
In spite of global cybersecurity spend predicted to cross $1 Trillion, organizations take 191 days on an average to identify a data breach and to make the matters worse, and an average ransomware attack is costing them $5 million.
We are 6 months into 2019 and have already faced some most concerning cyberattacks that led to data breaches. In March 2019, American Medical Collection Agency (AMCA) discovered its network had been breached. They were under attack from August 2018 to March 2019.
The details of the data breach were publicized in June 2019 where LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics claimed 7.7 million and 12 million patient records being exposed respectively.
The data stolen ranged from patient names, dates of birth, contact numbers, patient addresses to the balances due with their healthcare providers. The impact of the data breach was so aggressive that AMCA parent organization Retrieval-Masters Creditors Bureau Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection.
In the light of increasing episodes of high-profile cyber-attacks, the demand for cyber security jobs for skilled professionals has gone up by 1% while the attacks have increased by 59% in 2018.
There exists a massive talent gap in the market as Cybersecurity Ventures predicts by 2021, 3.5 million cyber security jobs post will be unfilled.
With a rising scope of Cyber Security, the job postings for cyber security jobs in India alone have gone up by nearly 40% from the year 2017-2018 and this is the perfect time to ride the wave and secure a high-profile job in one of the leading IT sectors.
What is Cybersecurity & What is an Expert Required to do?
Cyber security jobs in India profile include protection of networks of computer systems from cyberattacks. The network of computers across small-business or enterprises are at the risk of attacks like ransomware, malware, phishing, and social engineering. The attacks can cripple the hardware/software or lead to data breaches in internet-connected systems.
Subsets of Cyber Security
Cyber Security is an umbrella term and it requires a lot of coordinated effort throughout different layers of the system. The different areas where cyber security jobs in India and across the globe are available are:
⇒ Application Security
⇒ Information Security
⇒ Network Security and
⇒ Operational Security
Cyber Security Jobs in India
The recent report created by the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) estimates Indian IT infrastructure alone will create a need of over 1 million cyber security jobs for freshers by 2020.
With the unprecedented growth in the number and impact of cyberattacks, Indian IT needs more cyber security jobs for freshers to cover the skill gap.
As per the report by job portal Indeed, the cyber security jobs in India postings on their platform witnessed a 150% upsurge from January 2017 to March 2018.
Big IT giants, financial institutions and healthcare service providers are expanding the size of their cybersecurity teams. To state an example KPMG doubled their security team size over a couple of years.
Reasons Behind Rising Cyber Security Jobs in India
With the Digital India wave strengthening across the nation, small businesses to big enterprises are looking forward towards digital transformation and that cannot be achieved without checking what is cybersecurity team doing and whether their networks are in place.
Another reason that adds to the unprecedented growth is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The EU’s new law that was introduced in 2018 shook the Indian IT infrastructure as Europe is the second biggest market for Indian IT companies.
The IT companies in India need to ensure the safety of the client data and stay compliant to all data security rules under GDPR. Thus the $160 billion Indian IT industry requires an incessant supply of cyber security jobs experts.
The Global Job Market of a Cybersecurity Specialist
India is not alone battling for a GDPR compliance. Right from Germany to Brazil, all are looking forward to protecting the client data which is a major part of cybersecurity expert’s job profile.
Based on this the cyber security jobs for freshers and specialists are being paid better than other IT specialist. Let us explore the role, responsibilities and what is cybersecurity job profile for professionals across the globe.
Application Security Engineer
According to the lasted data dated Jul 26, 2019, an Application security engineer in the US on an average is withdrawing annual salary of $132,474. The maximum salary as per the job listings has been $196,000 and while the lowest was $80,500.
It has been noted by Zip recruiter that range of salary is somewhere between $112,000 and $147,500 across the US and is independent of the location. The salary figures remain the same for the India IT market also where $132,474 remains the average salary of an Application Security Engineer.
The role of an Application Security engineer is to ensure the security of all the software products deployed on the computer network of the company.
He is the one who ensures all the privacy and compliance terms are met or are injected into the software that is being developed. As automation has been on the rise, the number of Application Security Engineers is bound to grow.
Network Security Analyst
The average per year salary of a Network Security Analyst the US is around $98,011. The market trends suggest the salary of a Network Security Analyst can go up to $151,500 and can be as low as $47,000.
As the second most high-paying profiles the average salary range is somewhere between $90,000 and $150,000. A specialist in these roles is required to manage the entire network of an organization.
The market leaders in IT, healthcare, finance and more are recruiting the best talents in the market to ensure the entire network security is not at all at compromised.
Security Manager
A Security manager’s job responsibility is to protect and maintain the security aspects of organizations computer network. According to Payscale.com the median salary of a Security Manager is about $105,399.
He runs and directs the team who analyzes networks against security threats and addresses troubleshooting issues and ensuring every user has a secure password as per his role.
Job responsibilities of a Security Manager include selecting and installing top-notch security hardware and software and to develop Internet protocols that can combat virus, worm, malware and ransomware attacks. They work with security teams to develop security protocols, run network security evaluations and maintain emergency protocols.
The salary range of Security Manager’s ranges from $120, 00 to $180,000.
Cybersecurity Analyst
As per Zip Recruiter, the average annual salary of a Cyber Security jobs Analyst in the United States is $98,011. Some cybersecurity Analyst job positions offer salaries as high as $151,500. While the range of salary starts from $74,000 to $118,000
What is cybersecurity expert getting paid is high, as the job responsibilities are crucial from the security perspective. They work on protecting and preventing cyberattacks on both websites and networks.
Cybersecurity analysts need to be proficient in handling all kinds of attacks and must keep their skills and knowledge upgraded as per the hacking trends.
Penetration Tester
A Penetration Tester is most commonly known as an Ethical Hacker. His job role demands to identify the security vulnerabilities of a computer network.
He is allowed by the organization to hack the network and then suggest a fix. A penetration tester uses some set tools to replicate the actual cyber-attacks and put the security layer of the network to test.
The average annual salary of the Penetration tester is somewhere between $80,000 to $130,000. In 2017 Penetration tester was the most demanded skill.
They work to identify the methods the attackers could use to attack the computer networks of an organization by employ social engineering techniques. These could range from poor password policies to poor practices.
Information Security Engineer
An Information Security Engineer or IS receives the lion’s share as salary. As per Payscale, an Information Security Engineer is required to ensure the networks are virus-free and the role demands an average salary of $90,000 to $150,000.
It is the responsibility of the Information security engineers to ensure the data stored and communicated over the network is kept secure. They are required to develop and maintain protocols that ensure the database entries are made securely. The data retrieval and transmission must also be kept secure.
They are required to be proficient in multiple programming languages so that they can detect any malicious element and fix it by following the best practices. According to the business vertical, they are in, the IS Engineers must be required to be on call and do shifts quite frequently.
A general list of responsibilities they need to cater to is set up network firewalls and systems that detect any kind of intrusion. They are also involved actively in the forensic investigation.
The Security managers also use the skills of IS Engineers for testing upgraded hardware and software to implement new technologies. Evaluation of security issues by building test plans is conducted by them and they work to create multi-layered security systems.
How can a Fresher Cyber Security Jobs?
As a fresher to get into the roles of a Cyber Security jobs expert, the basic requirement is a bachelor’s degree. With the increasing demand for cybersecurity experts in the market, dedicated bachelor programs have been introduced in the market.
Some of the new programs are
⇒ Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in IT with cybersecurity as a focus
⇒ B.S. in Information Technology Management and Cyber Security
⇒ B.S. in Cybersecurity
⇒ B.S. in Computer Science with information security as a focus
These programs cover multiple programming languages, network security, digital forensics, and database design.
Freshers can kick start their careers as a Network Administrator as this role does not require any prior experience. This gives them exposure to how the security networks are set up, maintained and evaluated.
They get to know how to tackle real-time hacks quickly and efficiently. During the training, they are being trained on the computer network basics and the specific network security aspects of an organization.
As a fresher season, he is often given precedence over new recruitments to go for some certified courses sponsored by the organization that helps him go up the cybersecurity role ladder.
An experienced cyber security jobs expert can move to advanced levels by going forward with credible Certified Cyber Security courses. These certificates not only help them grow within the organization but makes them a potential resource in a severe skill deficient market.
Conclusion
If you were till date unsure about your career as cyber security jobs for fresher or expert, reading through this article must have given you clarity about the roles and the pay scales, the experts are attracting.
A lot of the yearly budget is being injected into enhancing the security aspects of the organization and it the professionals who are pocketing a good sum out of the budget.
Enterprises are becoming very particular about security effectiveness thus there are high Cyber Security salary packages for a skilled Cyber Security job candidate in the market. If you want to proclaim a good position in the market, make sure your skills are up to date with the market requirements and what the big giants are looking for.
Keep a tap on how the market is moving, how the hacks are evolving and with proper certifications and degrees you are not far from a well-paid, high-profile dream job.
The first towards building a career in Cybersecurity is by taking up a Cyber Security Course.
