Do you Aspire for a Career in Network Security? Experts Suggest you do this.
The growth of cloud, IoT devices, SaaS models, and remote working has caused several dramatic changes in the network security space. As users expect faster and more secure network connections, there are several career opportunities for aspiring network security professionals who can build the right security policies and discover new and novel ways to provide protection against hacking and misuse. If you are aspiring for a career in network security, here are some tips from experts:
Keep up with the pace of network security trends
Like every other technology, trends in network technology are constantly evolving. Here are top trends that are changing the security space:
- Mobile users: Mobile devices changed how the world communicated in more ways than one. From an era where mobile devices were used along with other devices such as laptops and PCs for personal and professional communication, today, the world has reached a point where reports suggest that almost three quarters or 3.7 billion of global internet users will be mobile-only by 2025. As the dependence on mobile grows, enabling and ensuring network security becomes a core responsibility.
- The remote work model: The sudden and unexpected shift from an onsite model to a remote work model has brought network security into the spotlight. As organizations across the world were compelled to enable users to work from their homes, many resorted to using their personal devices and VPNs to access enterprise resources, communicate with peers, and accomplish day-to-day tasks. According to recent research, the percentage of workers permanently working from home is expected to double in 2021 – making network security a pressing challenge.
- Cloud and other SaaS-related services: The growth of cloud and associated SaaS-based models is causing a boom in the network security space. The availability, security, flexibility, and scalability capabilities of cloud are causing more and more organizations to for a managed services model, cloud adoption is at an all-time high. Many organizations today are opting for cloud services to enable business growth, improve efficiency, and drive agility – causing the public cloud end-user spending to grow 18% in 2021.
- IoT adoption: The growth of IoT technology is also making network security a common topic of discussion. More and more organizations in sectors like manufacturing and healthcare are adopting IoT devices to enable business productivity and efficiency, improve mobility and agility, enhance customer experience, and reduce costs. Analysts expect the worldwide IoT market size to grow to $418 billion in 2021.
- Mobile and web apps: With 218 billion app downloads in 2020 alone, the growth of mobile and web apps also tests the traditional boundaries of security. As firewalls become increasingly porous and as users download apps from tablets, phones, PCs, and laptops, network security professionals have to constantly find ways to secure access across platforms over an expanding network perimeter and have strategies in place to thwart attacks.
Understand the financial impact of lack of network security
Cybersecurity damages not only impact business reputation but also have a far-reaching financial impact when not addressed in time.
- Just a few minutes of network downtime can cause widespread disruption and massive damage to an organization’s bottom line.
- The effect of reputational damage caused due to poor network security can have a grave impact on relationships with partners, investors, and other third parties vested in the business.
- Unauthorized access, misuse, modification to devices and networks can put a lot at risk: from theft of IP information to loss of personal data and more.
- A sudden and unexpected attack has the capability to cause severe operational and productivity loss.
- Poor security can also result in negative customer experiences that can impact trust and loyalty in the long run.
- A massive attack can also cause lead to sudden and snowballing losses of business or contracts.
Always update your skills
Given the fact that security embodies a multitude of technologies, devices, and processes, aspiring network security professionals need to constantly update their skills:
- Be aware of the latest rules and configurations designed to protect the integrity, confidentiality, and accessibility of networks.
- Have the right network security solutions in place to protect the enterprise from the ever-growing landscape of cyber threats.
- Understand the different ways and means in which hackers try to find and exploit vulnerabilities across the different layers.
- Be well-versed with modern network security management tools and applications in use today that address individual threats, exploits, and regulatory non-compliance.
- Make sure to design network security hardware and software policies in a way that they can address existing and upcoming threats.
- Implement the most appropriate antivirus and antimalware software to protect the enterprise from viruses, ransomware, worms, and trojans.
- Have comprehensive access control policies in place to ensure potential attackers cannot infiltrate the network.
- Embrace behavioral analytical methods to easily spot anomalies or breaches as and when they happen.
- Invest in modern intrusion detection and prevention systems to identify and block attacks.
- Enroll yourself in network security training programs and certifications to be well-versed with the latest trends and policies.
In today’s highly vulnerable business environment where hackers are resorting to sophisticated means to exploit networks, security needs to be a high priority for any organization. A career in network security is extremely promising but requires professionals to be well aware of upcoming trends and policies across networked data and systems. The right skills can not only help in protecting assets from external exploits; they can also help in the effective management of network traffic, improved network performance, and secure data sharing.
