Duties and responsibilities
- Developing project timelines for ongoing system upgrades
- Reviewing the security measures in the current system and recommending and implementing the relevant enhancements
- Conducting regular system tests and ensuring continuous monitoring of network security
- Ensuring all personnel have access to the correct IT systems that they need
- Establishing disaster recovery procedures and conducting regular breach of security drills
- Promptly responding to all security incidents and providing thorough post-event analyses
Qualifications
A degree in computer science, information technology, or another related field is highly desirable.
Many employers also look for qualifications like IT certifications, such as the CSSP.? Obtaining technical certifications is a great way to build your credentials at a much lower cost (both time and financial) than a typical bachelor’s degree. For example, Cybrary offers a course that gives you the CSSP in just under 13 hours. They also offer other security architect courses for a range of abilities.
Skills and relevant work experience
As you will eventually be leading projects, you must possess excellent leadership skills and a commercial outlook. Verbal and written communication skills are also a must for leading teams and for preparing written reports about security weaknesses, incidents and protocols.
You should also have a good working knowledge of current IT risk management and experience in implementing security solutions. A solid understanding of security protocols, cryptography, authentication and authorization is also desired, which will be taught at degree level.
Employers will also look for experience in implementing multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, identity management or related technologies.
Hours
Hours are typically Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. However, sometimes you will have to work out of hours in the case of an emergency.
Salary
According to Payscale, the median salary is roughly $122,000. Entry level roles typically take home roughly $77,000 annually, whilst mid-level counterparts report to take home around $118,000 annually. With 20 or more years of experience, you could be taking home around $133,000.
Progression
The Bureau of Labour Statistics estimated a 5% growth in employment from 2018-2028. When you enter this position at an entry-level, it is expected that you can progress to mid-level roles such as security analysts, engineers and consultants fairly quickly .