Cybersecurity job openings have been in huge demand for a while now, and it does not seem like they are going to disappear in the recent future. Although artificial intelligence and machine learning systems have started to take over routine security checks, practicality and experience are still the key features of manual service. Companies like Amazon, IBM and Google are trying to provide safe and secure cloud services to smaller firms, but even they have certain limitations which have led to new security positions such as cloud security engineers. It has been a fast-changing industry that adapts to new changes quickly. This factor has also led to an improvement in the quality of employees, and the community itself has grown and divided itself into smaller specialized groups with expertise in different areas.
It just so happens that black hat hackers and malicious software progress and develop just as fast. This gives rise to the need for continuing education policies that ask employees to update their existing knowledge and commit to their work life. Several certification programs also bank on this factor with their ethical regulations to provide credibility to the employees. All these changes have led to a discussion over how cybersecurity is going to change over the next five or ten years.
CURRENT AND FUTURE STATE OF CERTIFICATIONS
Certifications are the best way to get introduced to any career, and the same goes for cybersecurity roles. Most security employees benefit from one or two accreditations in their entire career. These certifications are solely dependent on the career aims of the individual and only hold value if the person is willing to look for a job in the relevant field. Therefore, ethical hackers only apply for general certifications such as Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) or more specific programs such as the Certified Penetration Tester (CPT). But, these white hat hackers do not usually go for basic certifications such as the CompTIA Security+ because it does not benefit them. Similarly, people aiming for administrative roles in the security industry apply for Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and cybersecurity analysts aim to get accredited in Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA). There are specific programs for each job title, and candidates have to look for the right one that fits their career choices.
However, with the recent changes in educational requirements, it is not uncommon to see CISA qualified employees need white hat strategies for added versatility in their job. Similarly, someone in charge of project teams may hold the CISSP title, but they will need the CompTIA Cloud+ certification to get the requisite domain knowledge so that they can work with the team using cloud computing without being a liability. There is a dire need for flexibility with education and training in this field. As recruiters slowly understand the need for this factor, the quality of certification standards will start to matter more than quantity.
JOB ROLES, COMMITMENT, AND VERSATILITY
Cybersecurity job roles specialized very recently. Each role does an entirely different job, and all of them have different demands and salary packages. A penetration tester owns the necessary know-how to hack into systems with the prior permission of the administration, provide detailed reports to the employers. And suggest essential investments to the stakeholders. But they cannot take up leadership roles, and head security personnel in a project team like chief information officers can do. This role is more suited to CISSP holders. Similarly, CISA qualified individuals can assess risks in the system and monitor existing potential threats as skilled cybersecurity analysts, but they do not have the knowledge to build and alter systems and design firewalls like software architects do.
There has been a reversal in this trend recently. More often than not, penetration testers need the help of software architects to build the right infrastructure for the firm. Likewise, cybersecurity analysts need the hacking tools to understand the behavior of a malicious program in order to eliminate it. Network and security administrators need the help of cloud engineers to solve server issues. Hiring all of these people may not be possible for many firms, and that is why recruiters demand professionals who can solve these problems for them and are extremely versatile. They also demand confidentiality, commitment, and loyalty to the firm.
It is safe to say that the industry is changing and cybersecurity jobs will not be the same after a few years. Therefore, many experts speculate that with higher demand for these jobs, there needs to be a steady upgrade in the qualification standards of various certifications. Employees in this field need to focus on updating their skillset and gaining insights on different IT tools and industry standards to keep up with the times.
