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As data breaches and hacks continue to dominate the headlines, it comes as no surprise that cybersecurity firms and services are in-demand in this technologically advanced world.
According to Corptive Research, with job security, good pay and the appeal of fighting against cyber-warfare, the cybersecurity industry seems nothing short of awesome.
However, while cybercrime is very real, the potential thrills surrounding the prevention of data hacks and breaches are usually overshadowed by ugly realities.
The Good — Higher Demand For Services
The rapid advancement of technology has made protecting systems against spyware hackers and viruses crucially important.
It is a fact that almost every business and organization has confidential data store on their computer networks which are at risk of being hacked and used for other means. Thus, cybersecurity firms are needed in order to keep this massive amount of critical data safe.
And as the Internet grows even more complicated every day, so does cybercrime.
The good news for cybersecurity firms is that this growth means greater demand for their services.
The demand for cybersecurity has significantly increased because of the global increase in cyber-attacks. More and more businesses are looking for reliable and reputable cybersecurity firms to partner with in order to prevent attacks on their data.
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Supply has followed suit and the year 2015 became the year of cybersecurity startups!
In addition, more and more individuals are taking the chance to be a cybersecurity expert. As a matter of fact, according to the BLS or Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for Information Security analysts is expected to grow 37% from 2012 – 2022, which is much quicker than average.
Not only that, but there’s also a significant earning potential for qualified persons with the BLS reported an approximate salary of $41.43 an hour or $86,170 median annual salary.
The Bad — Restrictions and Routine in the Cybersecurity Industry
Because of mass media, cybersecurity jobs are usually romanticised. And although high-stakes threats do happen, the daily ask of cybersecurity firms and experts are usually less exciting.
Their job responsibilities may include:
- Ensuring the appropriate security controls that are in place in order to safeguard digital files and the electronic infrastructure.
- Planning, upgrading, implementing and monitoring the security measures for the protection of computer data and networks.
- Responding to viruses and computer security breaches. The standard intrusions can include responding to outbound transmissions of compressed files or monitoring unauthorized web pages on servers.
- Like any job, cybersecurity professionals and firms also often dealt with the daily routine administrative tasks.
Although these responsibilities are less glamorous than what others think, cybersecurity firms work in a fast-paced and complex work environment as well as faced with overtime and odd hours. Because of this, their employees tend to be stressed a lot.
In addition, the evolving and unpredictable nature of cybercrime even adds more to the stress with cybersecurity experts always on the lookout for possible vulnerabilities in the systems.
The Ugly — Unexperienced Professionals VS. Sophisticated Attacks
The need for cybersecurity firms to have experienced professionals is rapidly increasing day by day. So quickly that there are not enough expert or qualified individuals to fill in the open positions.
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This is partially because of the demanding and evolving nature of the job. Most of the time, cybersecurity firms tend to hire new graduates and even not-so-experienced individuals to take on the job and handle such sensitive responsibilities.
Now, when sophisticated attacks are launched by cybercriminals or hackers, these unexperienced professionals can fail to protect their client’s data. As a result, the firm’s reputation will also be tarnished and also work really hard to repair or even pay for the damages caused by the attack.