Introduction
In recent years, there has been an increase in cyber-attacks and network intrusions. As a result of these frequent attacks, the demand for a security specialist or Cyber Security Specialist has also increased. A career in Cyber Security is an invaluable position in IT as it provides the first line of defense against cyber-attacks in any network. The demand for these skilled Cyber Security Specialists is increasing every year, but there are not enough candidates to occupy these positions. The Increase of Hacking The increase in cyber security has increased recently due to the fact people rely so highly on the internet and technology more than ever. Hackers have learned how companies and their employees work and how they are vulnerable, especially small businesses.
According to the security company Symantec, cyberattacks on small businesses rose 300 percent in 2012 from the previous year. One of the biggest issues is that most companies are doing most of their business online. Without the proper protection and knowledge companies are vulnerable to all types of attacks. Since technology has started to make advancements so has the types of hacking technologies and so has the creativity of hackers. According to the article “Why Your Business Might Be a Perfect Target for Hackers” at salt.org “Hackers take advantage of human error within a company’s network. Well-intended (non-malicious) employees can make an honest error, which increases network vulnerability that can be exploited by hackers.” Users are replying to or accessing infected emails that look like emails from genuine senders or websites requesting login credentials. This is one of the largest vulnerabilities in the IT field right now because it is hard to protect against uneducated employees.
IT companies must implement security procedures and testing to protect users against these constant attacks. Without the guidance of security professionals businesses would fall victim to these hackers and would lose time and money.
Job Opportunity
Since the increased amount of hacking, the demand for cybersecurity professionals has risen exponentially. Breaches in major companies has made the need to protect company networks has become a higher priority. According to forbes.com Cisco stated that 29% of companies that have been breached lost revenue. These breaches do not just affect large companies, but they also affect small and medium sized companies. This can be devastating for any company if a data breach occurs because data is sold on the black market for $5 apiece. According to Frobes.com, in 2012 there were 72,670 security analyst jobs in the U.S., but in 2015 that number increased to 88,880 and that number is greatly increasing every year. According to the article “So You’re Interested in a Cyber Security Career” at Bomgar.com in 2019 there will be 4.5 million job openings for cybersecurity specialist but only 4.5 million of those positions will be filled. The major increase in Cybersecurity Specialists positions is proving that the field will in great need in the future for more specialists.
Cybersecurity Training
In the past there has not been much opportunity for people to take training for cybersecurity until recent years. The need for cybersecurity specialists was not in such high demand until the last 5 years. Since the demand was not as high, there was not many schools that offered degrees in Cybersecurity. As the need for cybersecurity specialists has increased so has the opportunity for people to a degree in the field. There are many colleges and training schools that offer degrees and certificates specifically for the cybersecurity field. One thing that people looking to enter the field need to know id what the want to do exactly in cybersecurity. According to monster.com there are many different job titles in the field which include Security Analyst, Security engineer, Security Director or manager, Systems Administrator, Network Architect, forensics Investigator, Auditor and many more. The amount of schools in the U.S. offering these programs has boomed and will only increase the number of programs being offered in the future.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the demand for cybersecurity analysts has greatly increased in the last 5 years since cyber-attacks has also greatly increased. Hackers have become more advanced and have also become smarted how they can attack companies. The need for specialists will increase so much that there will not be enough people to fill the positions. With the increased opportunity for people to take degree and certificate programs in the cybersecurity field this gives individuals tools to increase their chances to acquire a job with a company looking to become a security professional.
