Entry cyber security jobs are plentiful in the 21st century. Businesses and even government offices direly need cyber security (also called “cybersecurity”) applicants to design and manage their essential data networks. As companies and agencies rely more on their data transfer networks and storage systems to process valuable information, they will continue to need qualified personnel.
Read on to learn the main roles of entry cybersecurity jobs. Use these roles to determine which part of this high-demand workforce you should focus on joining. This will help you make better applications and refine your resume with the right certifications to be successful in this field.
Types of Cybersecurity Roles
The National Institute of Standards and Technology is a great resource to help you figure out your ideal cybersecurity role. They break down the field into 7 main positions or areas of focus. You can use them to get certified and refine your applications with relevant experience. You don’t have to focus your certifications on all 7. However, you should be familiar with them all and prepared to offer services in each role.
Even entry-level jobs in cybersecurity can require a mix of these roles. According to NIST, these roles require the following functions:
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Develop
Network development and design procedures play a major role in cybersecurity. Building secure IT frameworks constitutes a major role in these positions.
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Maintain
Whether it’s for a network you built or an existing one, maintaining, supporting, and administrating the company’s data framework is essential to ensure security.
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Govern
Cybersecurity positions aren’t just about programming. They also involve leadership and direction. Experience managing an IT department to analyze problems and create network solutions would thus be a huge boost to your future applications.
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Protect
No matter how secure the network, threats from hackers are a real problem for most companies. Identifying and responding to threats is one of a cybersecurity professional’s main lines of work.
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Analyze
Cybersecurity positions involve tons of information retrieval and analysis. Therefore, cybersecurity professionals need to be able to parse this information and apply it to a company’s system.
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Operate
As you develop better systems using available information, you’ll thus be able to operate smarter systems for a company’s framework.
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Investigate
When hackers attempt to invade a company’s systems, they leave all kinds of useful information related to how you can make a network more secure. Therefore, you need to be able to investigate digital evidence to make a company’s network more secure.
The Takeaway for Applicants to Entry Cyber Security Jobs
Entry cyber security jobs require more roles and expertise than most entry-level positions. This follows from being part of a lucrative industry that large firms require in order to grow and prosper in the modern data-focused information economy. Thus, secure systems that stay ahead of trends, fend off hackers, and store data properly can make or break even the biggest company.
These companies thus look for diverse expertise in cybersecurity professionals, even at the entry-level. Use this information, summarized from the NIST, to refine your applications and also understand your many roles as a cybersecurity professional.
