Cyber Security Professionals' IT Security Roles and Responsibilities

Technology has intertwined our personal and professional lives in ways that were inconceivable just a few decades ago. The cloud, mobility, and the sophisticated devices that the majority of us carry in our pockets enable a culture of ease as well as the opportunity to collaborate and be more productive. While this convenience may make our lives easier, it also makes it easier for cybercriminals to access our sensitive personal information wherever it may reside or move across the network. There is a huge market for the sale and exploitation of that data, so these bad actors have plenty of motivation as well. Even if you have the best Cyber Security Professional on your side, hackers and cybercriminals will find a method to access your data. That is not to argue that there is no hope. IT security professionals fight on the front lines of this war to protect against an ever-changing threat landscape.

Roles of the Cyber Security Professional

At a mile-high level, cybersecurity professionals are responsible for protecting IT infrastructure, edge devices, networks, and data. More granularly, they are responsible for preventing data breaches and monitoring and reacting to attacks. Many have backgrounds as programmers, and systems or network administrators, and in math and statistics. Those skills are undoubtedly relevant to the role of an IT security professional, but equally as critical are the things that aren’t necessarily things that can be taught – critical thinking, curiosity, and a passion for learning and research. People from all kinds of backgrounds possess those qualities, so companies shouldn’t limit themselves to a narrow pool of candidates. Further, hackers are creative by nature. To outsmart them, security pros need to be, as well.

Responsibilities of the Cyber Security Professional

New security threats pop up all the time, and IT security professionals need to stay up to date with the latest tactics hackers are employing in the field. In addition to the high-level responsibilities mentioned above, some specific duties IT security teams do, include:

• Set and implement user access controls and identity and access management systems
• Monitor network and application performance to identify and irregular activity
• Perform regular audits to ensure security practices are compliant
• Deploy endpoint detection and prevention tools to thwart malicious hacks
• Set up patch management systems to update applications automatically
• Implement comprehensive vulnerability management systems across all assets on-premises and in the cloud
• Work with IT operations to set up a shared disaster recovery/business continuity plan
• Work with HR and/or team leads to educate employees on how to identify suspicious activity

Three Critical Skills for Cyber Security Professionals

Successful IT security professionals need more than technical skills. To truly advance in the field, these experts should be:

• Strategists - Cyber Security professionals should be able to proactively implement security measures and controls within organizations, weighing the consequences of any action. Advanced security protocols require tactical and strategic evaluations of workflows, dependencies, budgets, and resources. Because new methods to hack information are continually developing, professionals must be a step ahead, studying how hackers enter networks and procedures for thwarting them.
  
  
• Communicators - Management and communication skills ensure effective coordination with teams and clients. Technology and security touch every professional in an organization. Security professionals must interact in meaningful ways by training and empowering employees to help protect systems.
  
  
• Lifelong Learners - Another must-have skill is technical competence. With the pace of development in IT security, this means ongoing research, training, and earning standard certifications. These professionals should constantly be learning new advanced technology skills to be able to resolve complex security issues.

Conclusion

Highly skilled security professionals are in high demand. No organization is immune to cybercrime, meaning that all need to make IT security a top priority. The first step is finding the most qualified professionals to lead the way.

‍