How to Become a Network Security Engineer

The world is becoming increasingly digital. This is why it is important to take measures to protect our data. That’s why becoming a network security engineer is such a valuable asset.

As you read this, there’s a good chance that your company is using some type of network security from a platform like Spin.ai. But what does that actually mean? And what does a network security engineer do?

In this article, we will explore the role of a network security engineer, the required education for cyber security, and everything that you need to know before pursuing an information security engineer career.

What Is A Network Security Engineer?

A network security engineer is a key member of the IT team. They are responsible for safeguarding the network from both internal and external security threats.

As such, this position requires expertise in a variety of areas. This includes network architecture, intrusion detection and prevention, vulnerability assessment and management, and policy development.

Network security engineers typically hold bachelor’s degrees in computer science or engineering. Also, a certificate in network security and additional certifications in information security technology. The major requirement of network security jobs is to have strong analytical skills along with the ability to problem-solving.

What Is A Network Security?

Network security is one of the most important aspects of modern businesses. Network security is all about focusing on the protection of computer systems and networks via using security measures. It also involves access control, virus and antivirus software, network analytics and application security,

Network security engineers work to protect networks from intrusion, data theft, and other malicious activity. They also develop and implement corrective actions when vulnerabilities are identified. This may involve working with software developers and other members of the team to create secure systems.

Responsibilities Of A Network Security Engineer

A cybersecurity engineer’s duties coexist with those of a cybersecurity analyst, who is likewise responsible for safeguarding confidential data. A security engineer’s responsibilities include:

• To secure organizational information and resources, security methods and infrastructure must be planned, put in place, managed, watched over, and upgraded.
• Make sure that satisfactory measures and protocols of security are implied to keep the organizational data secure.
• Resolving network and security issues
• Identifying and testing vulnerabilities within the system and network.
• Working with the SOC team and quickly responding to any security breaches along with the pen testers, cyber threat analysts, security professionals, consultants, and compliance analysts.
• Staying in touch with the appropriate departments of the organization to perform their security duties.
• Report writing and administrative duties.

How To Become A Cyber Security Engineer

Advanced responsibilities that demand a strong basis in computer science knowledge and abilities are held by cybersecurity engineers. Candidates may have to learn conventional degree programs, independent study, or boot camps to acquire these abilities.

Apart from the education for network security jobs, training as a cybersecurity engineer will probably take years. A  certificate in network security can also be beneficial.

• Earning a Degree

An excellent foundation in these fields can be obtained with a bachelor’s degree in computer science or cybersecurity. Mathematical or electrical engineering-related domains can also teach useful skills.

Although it’s not always necessary, getting a degree is a good alternative to a job in cybersecurity. 81% of modern cybersecurity workers have an undergraduate degree or higher, according to a poll by the international nonprofit information security group (ISC)2. 51 percent of cybersecurity experts have computer science degrees.

• Complete A Certification

If your goal is to get into a network security engineer, then you can pursue the certification in network security right after completing your degree of bachelors. However, you can pursue it after earning some related work experience as well.

These certifications are considered voluntary but they can greatly be helpful in increasing your credibility and displaying your knowledge and skills in the field. To earn these certifications, you may have to complete a number of training hours and pass the exam.

The following are the best certificates in network security to make your CV stand out while looking for security engineer jobs:

• Cyber threat incidents (CTIA)
• Council Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO)
• Certified Ethical Hacker Certification (CEH)
• Council Security Analyst (ECSA)
• Council Certified Incident Handler (ECIH)

• Learning Programming Languages

Learning and having experience in standard programming languages like Java, C++, Python, Ruby, Go, PowerShell and Node, is quite a must.

You can keep yourself one step ahead of hackers that have deep knowledge of network systems and are capable of exploiting them by learning the fundamentals of one or two programming languages. Furthermore, a lot of medium- and senior-level cybersecurity engineering positions prefer a candidate who can create and comprehend different computer codes.

Job Opportunities For A Cybersecurity Engineer

As mentioned earlier, organizations are emphasizing hugely on network security because of data breaches in government and private organizations. These have grabbed the attention of businesses around the world.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that somewhere between 2019 and 2029, information and cyber security engineer jobs are expected to increase by 31%, with unemployment in the industry being extremely low. Additionally, $6 trillion is anticipated to be spent on cybersecurity yearly by 2021.

Cyber and information security engineer roles are going to be most suited for people having the appropriate skills for cyber security

There are several job opportunities for a network and information security engineer. From penetration testers, security analysts, information assurance engineers, and IT security engineers to information systems security engineers to name a few. All of these jobs are some of the highest salaried and future-proof careers, too.

The overall salary for security analysts nationally is ~$100k.  These numbers are $116k for pen testers.