It may feel like the world has changed slowly and gradually, but the way technology has revolutionized our world in the past few decades is stunning. There are concepts that didn’t exist when most of us were born but are commonplace now, and cyber security is one of them.
What is cyber security, exactly, and how do you know if it’s the right career path for you? Our IT Systems Administrator program (ISTA) specializes in training up-and-coming cyber security specialists and IT experts, and we’re giving you a peek into the field.
What Is Cyber Security?
Cyber security is a broad term that applies to any strategies to safeguard against theft or other crimes that use technology. Cyber security can involve protecting confidential information like medical and personal records. It also includes controlling access to bank accounts, credit card accounts, and so on.
Cyber security plays a major role in our daily lives. Every time we enter a password on a site or use FaceID or fingerprint readers to log into our phones, we’re passively dependent on cyber security. For businesses and organizations, though, cyber security is a far more conscious practice. Security holes put their finances and reputation at risk, even leaving them vulnerable to legal problems. That’s why cyber security is a growing career path with competitive salaries.
What Does a Cyber Security Professional Do?
Most people don’t realize how many ways there are for a criminal to get access to supposedly-secure systems. Cyber security specialists are tasked with protecting all of those possible doors, locking them against cyber criminals while maintaining reliable access for authorized users. There are many duties that fall within this realm.
Uncovering and Resolving Cyber Attacks
Cyber attacks happen more often than most people realize: every 39 seconds on average. Only a few of these attacks are successful enough to make the news, and that’s because cyber security specialists get most of the others under control.
As a cyber security IT professional, you’ll have a variety of strategies and tests in place to monitor your system for cyber attacks. If an attack occurs, you can catch it as early as possible and shut it down to minimize the damage.
Identifying Security Risks
As important as it is to stamp out cyber attacks when they occur, it’s even more important to lock up your system against criminals in the first place. In some cases, cyber attacks happen because a hacker finds an unknown weak spot in a company’s system. They take advantage of the accidental weakness and use it to break in.
As a cyber security expert, you’ll be able to analyze your company’s system and network for those vulnerabilities. You’ll know how to spot a security risk and design a way to fix it before cyber criminals find and exploit it.
Taking Proactive Security Measures
In addition to repairing vulnerabilities in your system, as a cyber security specialist, you’ll also be responsible for managing other preventative measures. They could include authorization processes, antiviruses, and other techniques to block potential attacks.
You’ll also understand systems administration best practices, using them to design the company’s IT network in a way that’s safer from the start. For instance, connecting certain low-security equipment like printers to a confidential server is a security risk, so you can configure the system to avoid these risky connections.
Establishing Office Protocol
You may be surprised by how many cyber attacks happen from simple human error, like clicking on a suspicious email or inadvertently downloading spyware. As a cyber security expert, you’ll know all the hackers’ top tricks.
To avoid these problems, you may be tasked with setting policies and protocols for the office. For example, you might train your coworkers on how to identify risky emails.
How to Start Your Career in Cyber Security
As our world becomes more ingrained with technology, cyber criminals show no signs of slowing down. That makes cyber security a promising and profitable career path. If a cyber security career sounds like a fit for you, you can launch your career sooner than you think.
The IT Systems Administrator program at ICOHS College is the perfect way to prepare for your dream job. This quick program trains you in the essentials of cyber security and other aspects of designing and maintaining an IT system. That opens the door to not only cyber security but a range of IT roles too.
This program gives you the skills you need to get the essential certifications for a cyber security professional. The most critical certifications are Cisco CCNA and CompTIA Security+. You’ll need to pass an exam for each certification, and our skilled, specialized instructors give you the knowledge you need to ace them.
Starting the Road to a Cyber Security Career
It starts with asking “what is cyber security?” and ends with a thriving career.
The sooner you start working toward your IT training and certifications, the sooner you can launch your career and enjoy a promising future and a strong paycheck. To take the first step, learn more about the IT Systems Administrator program at ICOHS College.
