Cyber Security Technical Professional
Careers Explorer:
Responsible for protecting online data from being compromised.
Overview
Demand for cyber security professionals is growing as businesses and organisations need to build strong defences against cybercrime.
Unfortunately hacks occur and they can have a devastating effect – so why not be a defender against these criminals?
As a Cyber Security Technical Professional you are the captain of the team, in a varied role, but the main crux of your job is to protect online data from being compromised for the business or organisation you work for.
An occupation found in all sectors where information is held digitally and where that information is an asset that needs to be protected including but not limited to finance, retail, telecoms, health, media, manufacturing and local authorities.
Responsible for a cyber security function (frequently a Security Operations Centre or Network Operations Centre), you’ll take charge of conducting specific cyber security tasks to defined procedures and standards.
You’ll have to keep up-to-date with the latest security and technological developments, as you’ll be constantly monitoring for potential and emerging threats. You’ll also need to keep a cool head in a crisis as it’s your job to plan for disaster recovery in the event of a security breach.
Top 5 Tasks
- Research and evaluate emerging cyber security threats and ways to manage them
- Monitor for attacks, intrusions and unusual, unauthorised or illegal activity
- Design new security systems or upgrade existing ones
- Engage in ‘ethical hacking’
- Lead a team or project.
Salary
Starting salaries for those who work in cyber security are between £25,000 and £35,000, while someone with several years of experience, can expect to earn up to £50,000.
In higher level leadership or managerial roles, you can earn in excess of £70,000.
Am I Suited?
- Technical competency
- Analytical thinker
- Leader
- Excellent communicator
- Works well under pressure
There are more than 450 digital businesses employing over 5,500 people in the digital industry in Oldham.
Qualifications
There has never been a better time to get into cyber security, with growing demand for experts promising increased salaries and job opportunities.
Technically, you don’t need any cyber security experience to get started, though many people entering the field will come from jobs that have similar skillsets, such as systems administration or information analysis.
If you can demonstrate the relevance of your existing experience – what recruiters call ‘transferable skills’ –there’s no reason why you can’t get a foothold on the cyber security career ladder.
