You Won’t Succeed in IT without this Kind of Training
IT and IS departments are undergoing a shift. And it’s a massive shift, due to the increase in activities costing companies and individuals billions of dollars every single year. According to the Cybercrime in Canada report from Statistics Canada, Canadian businesses spent $14 billion on prevention, detection and recovery from cyber security incidents in 2017 alone. Prevention and detection actions were taken by 94% of businesses in Canada.
Interestingly, few businesses (just 10%) reported cyber security incidents to a policing agency. Most likely, this low level of reporting is because there is very little possible in the way of penalizing those who commit cybercrimes. The best companies can do is get to know their weaknesses and prevent potential attacks.
Therefore, having a professional to identify, prevent, and recover from cyber security issues is important to nearly every single business in the country. For those who are interested in “fighting the bad guys” and keeping data, electronic assets and records safe, a career in cyber security could be just the right fit.
Local Cyber Security Course Availability is on the Rise
Before firing off a cover letter to a business, it’s important to note that having the right skills is an essential part of doing the job. Luckily there are a number of cyber security courses in Vancouver to take care of local training needs. Depending upon your background and experience, you might be able to take courses through a cyber security training company in Vancouver immediately. However, certain cyber security courses in Vancouver require a baseline of experience and education in the field.
Some of these courses are a short-term boot camp style while others are remote offerings. It’s important to stay aware of the cyber security training companies in Vancouver in order to see which courses are available and whether the way they are taught will meet your needs. You’ll also want to ensure the courses are of benefit to your long-term career goals. Just as the job requirements are constantly growing and changing, so too are the courses offered, what they cover and the companies offering education.
A Look at Penetration Tester Skills and Training
Individuals who are interested in becoming a penetration tester (aka: pen tester) should get to know the basics of the job, whether they have the background education and skill fit and the advanced courses to allow them to do the job. It sounds somewhat glamorous, being a “white hat hacker” combatting the “black hat hackers” out there, but truth be told, it’s a precise, monotonous role that takes a special kind of individual. And, that individual has to prove they have the right training behind them to do the job.
Penetration testers work on finite elements of a company’s overall system or network. They might be running a review and testing of an app that allows customers to find the nearest location and reserve a seat. It might be a check of a certain employee accessed cloud-based interaction tool. No matter what the testing is reviewing, it must be thorough, complete and conclude with a report about the findings. Some penetration testers are involved in the resolution of their findings while others are not.
There are a number of people who work as pen testers who have been self-taught, but like a lot of fields in IT and IS, the era for self-taught individuals has mostly passed in terms of breaking into the job market. There are simply too many bright, capable individuals who have the same background, same interest AND they come with the education that proves their skills. While there is an abundance of jobs in cyber security like that of penetration tester, companies want to have proof of capabilities.
Education for a pen tester can include a lot of things. First and foremost, individuals must have an interest in and aptitude for math, sciences and computer science that is illustrated in their education. Penetration testers may be a lower to mid-level role in many companies, so a bachelor’s degree may be required, but some employers will look for a balance of experience and education. This experience will need to be within an IT or IS department with exposure to and awareness of cyber security practices.
White hat hackers must also be willing to constantly learn and upgrade their education as the electronic world undergoes constant change. Hackers are clever. A penetration tester must be able to anticipate how a black hat hacker uses social engineering methods while also identifying and suggesting ways to prevent the exploitation that can come from them.
Ongoing education may include things like certified ethical hacking courses. Some of the best course are offered through cyber security training companies in Vancouver. These can include: CEH – Certified Ethical Hacking, CISM – Certified Information Security Manager, CISA – Certified Information Systems Auditor and others. Perhaps the most important aspect it to look for is courses that are not tied to any specific backend system so that the skills can be applied to nearly any organization’s platform and technology.
Other Roles to Consider in Cyber Security
Of course, there are numerous jobs available in cyber security in addition to penetration testing. Some will be more of a management or department head role while others, like the pen tester, will be lower level. It’s important to get a feel for the job descriptions that feel like a fit for your education and skills as many companies call their cyber security, IT and IS positions by various names even when the roles are similar.
For example, a more senior job is a cyber security engineer. This job title is often interchangeable with security engineer or information systems security engineer to name a few. As a senior level position, someone who starts out as a data analyst may progress to penetration tester, work up to cyber security architect and advance to cyber security engineer. The career path may be in the same organization (if it is a larger company) or through a range of businesses to keep progressing. Smaller organizations may have the cyber security roles fall within existing jobs in an IT or IS department or they may have only one or two cyber security specialists.
The career progression will be different for everyone, but the common thread for those looking to work in cyber security is the obvious need for stay ahead of the ever-increasing and evolving threats.
