The digital revolution has come up with some negatives as well. One of these prime concerns is the increased cases of cyber threats, data breaches, attacks & hacking, phishing, and ransomware. That’s when cybersecurity consulting became a savior to protect the networks and digital assets of an organization.
Many cybersecurity firms and individual professionals play a crucial role in guiding, instructing, and helping implement better security measures for their clients. They conduct vulnerability testing, draw up new security protocols, analyze breaches, supervise the implementation of solutions, and much more.
In this guide, we’ll learn more about this highly demanding job profile, its roles and responsibilities, career path, certification courses, skill set job outlook, and other-related things.
A cybersecurity consultant is a working professional who assesses computer systems, networks, software, and other technologies of an organization to protect them from vulnerabilities and external attacks. For this, they develop and implement effective security solutions. The personnel are responsible to quickly identify any potential threat, evaluate it, and restrict it with the appropriate measures.
They are mostly hired by a client in the finance, healthcare, telecom, e-commerce, manufacturing sector, and government to test the cybersecurity status of the digital resources and design a defense for them.
A cybersecurity consultant has to focus and work on three prime areas: prevention, detection, and response to any potential risk. The job profile includes a wide range of responsibilities, varying as per the designation and assigned role, from executive leadership to engineering to customer service. They include the following:
A cybersecurity consultant may also be called a computer security consultant, IT consultant, security consultant, network security consultant, and database security consultant as per the roles assigned to him/her.
To build a lucrative career in cybersecurity consulting, you have to first complete your graduation in the IT field, then you can start your career as a junior member in a cybersecurity consulting firm. Once you have gained some experience, you can get promoted as a cybersecurity consultant. Here is the detailed process given for it:
The first and foremost requirement is to get a bachelor’s degree in the field such as computer science, engineering, cybersecurity, information security, or other related areas. Then, you can also opt for a master’s degree to increase your knowledge and chances to get a senior designation; however, that’s completely optional.
After the completion of graduation, you need to gain some three to five years of experience in the cybersecurity landscape to build your resume and learn profound knowledge and interpersonal skills. You can apply for an entry-level job as an IT auditor, penetration tester, digital forensic examiner, incident responder, or information security analyst. Then, only you can get promoted to administrative roles.
It is an additional step that you can follow to sharpen your expertise in the field and increase your chances of being selected. There are many certifications, such as CISSP, CISA, CSC, and others, that you can apply for at the authorized institutions. Some companies may also ask for a particular certification to meet their requirements.
Finally, you are now eligible for well-paying cyber defense positions. You can visit LinkedIn or any other reliable platforms, send your resume to a job consultancy firm, or follow the job board to get a better job offer. Apart from joining the in-house team of an organization, you can also build up your career as a freelancer, start your own consulting firm or join others to deliver cybersecurity services with outsourced employees.
However, this is not a fixed path that one has to follow to become a cybersecurity consultant. You can also make a good career with on-the-job experience and professional certifications only, which are listed further.
Industry certifications help you verify professional credibility and get a competitive advantage over other applicants during the hiring process. They also help to stay updated with the relevant technical skills and best practices. Some of the most popular and best cybersecurity certifications include the following:
The occupation demands a large set of core technical and interpersonal skills for the smooth implementation of security measures and policies within the organization. These skills are discussed below in detail:
Tips:You should try to earn all these technical and workplace skills during the initial phase of your career, when you’re gaining the experience to prepare a rich portfolio for the final position.
If we talk about the current market scenario regarding the average payout of a cybersecurity consultant in the US, it lies somewhere around $131,000 per annum. It includes additional benefits such as profit-sharing, commissions, and bonuses, which may vary as per the employee’s performance and the company’s policies.
A point should be noted that the salary expectations completely depend on the educational background and work experience that an employee holds. So, as per some reports and data, the cybersecurity consultant’s pay may range between $57,856 and $179,514 per annum. Furthermore, employees with an attractive portfolio may also enjoy remote work facilities, paid training, sign-on bonuses, paid travel, and generous leave.
The demand for cybersecurity professionals has also increased drastically over a few years, reflecting high growth and earning potential. Due to increasing cyber threats and data security concerns, in the upcoming decade, we will witness many job openings in the field. As per the report of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a projected growth of 32% can be seen in this profession during the period of 2022 to 2032.
Cybersecurity consulting is undoubtedly the future of the IT world. It delivers the effective ways to mitigate risk in cybersecurity and protect all the digital assets against threats and attacks. The job profile mainly aims at risk prevention, detection, and response with varying responsibilities as per the security situation.
So, if you hold the required set of knowledge and experience along with the skills, this can be an attractive career path for you with high growth and earning potential.
The primary role of a cybersecurity consultant is to provide security to the client’s digital assets against online threats and attacks by developing and implementing strong encryption techniques, security plans, and monitoring networks.
The position requires a bachelor degree and then a minimum three years of work experience, which makes six to seven years total. It might get longer if you pursue a master’s degree as well.
Yes, the profession is in high demand, which will grow many folds in the upcoming years due to digitalization and the increased number of cyber crimes.
As per the current industry trends and market demand, you can charge an average hourly payment of $63.41 for the job profile.
