The ability to communicate technical information in a way that non-technical individuals can understand is desirable and impressive for management to have among IT professionals. As an expert, you need to understand the technical terms but also have the ability to communicate them to stakeholders in an easy and understandable manner. IT professionals who want to start a career in cybersecurity are advised to earn a masters in cybersecurity to get the relevant technical and communication skills. Your previous IT knowledge and experience is certainly a benefit, however, entering the cybersecurity field requires brushing up on a few cybersecurity and communication skills explained below.
Risk Assessment and Management Skills
Risk assessment and management are two broad terms used to describe technical and non-technical tasks and procedures. For cybersecurity experts, it’s all about assessing risks, recognizing primary threats, and analyzing potential vulnerabilities.
Organizations generally require cybersecurity professionals to assess threats and grade systems based on how readily third-party agents could exploit them. These categories of threats include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Evaluating the risk of data leakage
- Service disruption
- Data abuse, and
- Malicious unauthorized access
Cryptography
In computer science, cryptography refers to secure information and communication techniques derived from mathematical concepts and a set of rule-based calculations called algorithms to transform messages in ways that are hard to decipher. Cryptography is used to create secure systems that ensure data secrecy, prevent illegal access, and verify the origin of incoming data.
Cybersecurity experts guard sensitive data from unauthorized individuals. Businesses hire professionals to develop unique cryptographic algorithms, safely integrate libraries, and so on.
Operational Security
Security operations cover various approaches for preventing, assessing, detecting, monitoring, and responding to constantly evolving cybersecurity threats.
Many businesses have dedicated security operations teams solely responsible for risk management. A cybersecurity expert needs to monitor and spot unusual activity on networks, servers, databases, or proprietary applications to operate on such a team.
Information Security
Information assurance is the practice of using, processing, storing, and securely transmitting sensitive data.
Continuous risk assessment and modifications to pre-established risk management plans are required for information assurance. Cybersecurity teams use this ability to ensure that information is kept secure.
Communication Skills
- As cybersecurity analysts, you must effectively interact with clients and other company stakeholders during the risk assessment and management process.
- You need to interact with teams, clients, top management, etc. So, you need to articulate your thought process and make it understandable to different sets of people.
- Further, you need to present complex topics and present risk assessment information concisely to non-technical stakeholders.
Despite being well prepared and taking precautions, sometimes hackers still manage to breach the cybersecurity system, hack passwords, steal data, and/or access keys. Therefore, as a cybersecurity expert, your job description includes the following responsibilities: –
- Educating stakeholders about the need for robust security measures and ways to execute them properly.
- Updating your existing qualifications and skills to be able to deal with latest malware and technological upgrades.
According to a recent report from Global Knowledge. employers widely consider certifications to assess a jobseeker’s expertise, commitment, and passion for the job profile. This holds true in cybersecurity as well, especially where the number of cybersecurity workers with one or more credentials is on the rise.
According to Exabeam, a computer security firm, 33% of cybersecurity professionals have the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification, 25 percent have the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certificate, and 26 percent have the CompTIA Security+ certification. Other certifications include GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC), Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP), Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI), etc.
In order to pursue such valuable certifications, you need to identify a trustworthy and accredited institution. EC-Council University (ECCU) is one such reputable university that offers many of these certifications along with the benefit of allowing the transfer of previously earned college credit. At ECCU, the credits earned in the certification can be transferred to a degree as well, if you later plan to pursue a degree.
Conclusion
Your résumé reflects your educational qualifications, accomplishments, and technical experience in the field. A degree in cybersecurity can add weight to your employability and assures your employer that you have the required know-how for the job.
If you’re applying for a job requiring security clearances, list them alongside your primary skills and also be sure to highlight your degree in cybersecurity. With the above-mentioned certifications and skills, you are very likely to have a great start in the field of cybersecurity and a promising career ahead.
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