Common Job Titles In The Cyber Security Consulting Industry

If you’ve been attentive to technology and cyber security news and trends, you must be well aware of the growing numbers of cyber security threats. Cyberattacks and data breaches are becoming a typical danger for businesses and organizations of all sizes. All this is happening when almost all workflows and operations are dependent on an environment prone to these attacks — the internet. (1)

Most businesses don’t want to take a back seat in information security. Instead, they want to be proactive in mitigating security threats and breaches. As a result, cyber security professions are increasingly becoming appealing to people as a prospective career route. However, cyber security is a broad profession that encompasses a wide range of specializations. Here are the common job titles in cyber security consulting:

Information security analysts are in charge of investigating and resolving security issues. Their responsibilities include security industry research to identify security concerns and implement ways to keep their organizations safe. This role necessitates a diverse skill set and collaboration with a diverse group of people, including internal, external analysts and senior management. (2)

These consultants help to defend your digital assets against cyber attackers. This usually entails scanning networks for security breaches, investigating them, adopting security software and developing company-wide security policies. Cyber security analysts require a bachelor’s degree in a computer-related discipline.

A network security engineer is another important professional in cyber security consulting. They work on network and security hardware and software implementation, structure and management. This includes the security of routers, network monitoring tools, virtual private networks (VPNs) and firewalls.

These professionals provide assessments or audits of current network security structures and procedures. A cyber security consultant in this area needs a comprehensive understanding of network and system administration to establish and construct secure support. One requires Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification.

Even the best-laid plans can go wrong at any time, and the specialists in this job are well aware of this. Data recovery professionals are the ones you go to when you need to recover your data and workflows when disaster strikes. Their work involves taking a proactive approach to data security by creating and managing backups on-site and on the cloud.

They also undertake audits and devise disaster data recovery strategies. They ensure timely backups to ensure business continuity in the event of a catastrophe that leads to data loss.

Even the most well-designed security measures can fail if an attacker can easily enter through the front door. Cyber security experts understand that the human factor is the weakest link in any digital security scheme. Security awareness training professionals are in charge of a company’s security awareness education. (3)

They help train teams to identify and recognize security risks and follow security policy, which reduces risk. These specialists must know all there is to know about cyber security and people’s habits. They’ll be responsible for creating security awareness programs and conducting training. They also identify and assess risks and engage with teams to promote the safest cyber security habits.

If you want to know how strong your security systems are, you need to test them. A penetration testing consultant is an expert you hire to play the villain and try to infiltrate your security systems. Also called ethical hackers, their work is to attempt to breach your security system to identify any gaps to enable you to remedy them before they become an issue.

As you might expect, being a competent penetration tester necessitates a high level of skill and knowledge in security matters. Candidates with a formal education in information technology and cyber security and considerable experience in related areas are likely to be the preferred choice.

Although not being the most prevalent cyber security job titles, cryptographers play a critical role in data security. Their work is to create and interpret encryption algorithms and codes. In recent years, you must have undoubtedly heard quite a bit about data encryption. The brains behind such high security-enhancing solutions are the cryptographers. (4)

Cryptographers can also develop security software and conduct research to ensure they keep developing more robust encryption codes. If you’re an organization that deals with highly sensitive information and data, such as the healthcare industry, financial institutions, the military and government agencies. This job needs a solid mathematical foundation, computer science and knowledge of cyber security threat trends.

A cyber security consultant assists businesses and organizations in securing their information technology systems and networks. These individuals frequently engage with various companies to assess existing information technology operations, run assessments, penetration tests and consult with management about security gaps and solutions.

Installing and configuring firewalls, updating policies and guidelines and ensuring technological and business procedures are in sync are all tasks that security consultants assist you with. Outsourcing these services to these consultants can go a long way in ensuring that your business is protected from inside and exterior threats.

1. “Understanding The Rise In Cyber Breaches And Good Cyber Hygiene”, Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/09/28/understanding-the-rise-in-cyber-breaches-and-good-cyber-hygiene/
2. “What is a Security Analyst? Responsibilities, Qualifications, and More”, Source: https://digitalguardian.com/blog/what-security-analyst-responsibilities-qualifications-and-more
3. “Generating Cyber security Awareness In A Business Environment”, Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/05/07/generating-cybersecurity-awareness-in-a-business-environment/
4. “Role of Cryptography in Network Security”, Source: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-15-9317-8_5