In today’s job market, cybersecurity is in high demand. As technology develops and new threats arise, there will always be a need for cyber security skills. Cybersecurity is one of the fastest-growing job markets. Unfortunately, as technology advances, so do hackers and other cybercriminals who constantly invent new ways to break into company networks.
For this reason, there will always be a demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals to protect our data from theft or damage. As a result, cybersecurity has become more competitive than ever before with highly sought after skills, including penetration testing, malware analysis, anti-virus software development and more.
Cybersecurity is more critical than ever for companies that have graduated in the online remote operations and cloud computing mode with employees working from their homes. This blog will outline what the most essential and in-demand cybersecurity skills of today’s job market are. It will also describe how you can take a stand in today’s competitive job market with these cybersecurity skills.
The Demand For Cyber Security Skills
The number of companies that suffer from data breaches has grown exponentially in the past few years, and cybersecurity skills are always in demand. Over 80 percent of organisations experienced at least one security incident. The most common ones are often malicious insiders or external attackers taking advantage of vulnerabilities within their IT infrastructure.
To be part of this industry, it is essential to know how cybercriminals operate to become more efficient than ever before. Because of rapid technological advancement in the digital age, cybersecurity experts are the most in-demand IT professionals. They ensure that organisations have secure infrastructures and can scale these systems as their business grows.
The push for remote work has also increased demand because more employees work from home or at different physical locations daily. According to a detailed analysis by Forbes, the fastest-growing skill areas in cybersecurity are application development security and cloud security. They see a 5-year growth for each skill with 164% and 115%, respectively.
The Most In-Demand Cyber Security Skills
Through cyber security courses, you can achieve and upgrade your cybersecurity skills. To get a better idea of the most highly demanded cybersecurity skills in today’s job market, you must know the trends and updates of the industry. Here is a list of the top in-demand cyber security skills today:
- Application Development Security
- Cloud Security
- Risk Management
- Threat Intelligence
- Incident Response
- Perimeter Security
- Penetration Testing
- Digital Forensics
1. Application Development Security
Application Development Security teams need to be proficient in various threat vectors and attack types active within the overall security aspect. It includes detecting malicious modifications, unwarranted access, adding testing and security features within the application, and more.
Cybersecurity professionals skilled in application development security are highly demanded with exceptional knowledge and skills to identify and fix application issues. The demand is said to increase 164% in the coming years, as it is one of the fastest-growing cyber security skills prevailing in the industry. Such immense growth is bound to open up many job opportunities over the next five years.
2. Cloud Security
Cloud computing security ensures that the data stored online via cloud-based platforms stay protected from deletion, leakage or theft. It comprises a comprehensive framework of policies, technologies, applications and tools to safeguard virtual IPs and business data and software applications.
In today’s scenario, more and more companies are shifting to a cloud platform to store, organise, and manage their workload. With this increasing usage of cloud strategy, there is an increased demand for cloud security professionals. As a result, cybersecurity professionals in cloud-based data platforms like Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and Amazon Web Services are in the top market. Burning Glass’s analysis states that there will be 115% growth for Cloud Security in the next five years.
3. Risk Management
Risk management skills are essential for detecting, analysing, and moderating the various cybersecurity threats that might damage an organisation’s business operations. A risk management security operative needs to be aware of these threat vectors. It could arise from multiple sources, such as financial insecurity, legal responsibility or critical managerial blunders. They also need to know about accidents and natural catastrophes.
The risk management skillset requires the coordinated and prudent use of resources to minimise, evaluate, and manage potential consequences of adverse events. Cyber security professionals with risk management skills are highly demanded to identify potential risks and eliminate or reduce the risk factors. As a result, risk Management skills have at least 60 percent growth in the coming years.
4. Threat Intelligence
Threat intelligence is a data-driven way to prevent or mitigate attacks. It provides context to who the attackers are and what are their motivations and capabilities. It helps you make informed decisions about security for yourself and others in the company.
Cyber Threat Intelligence skills require a blend of creativity, analytical skills, technical and scientific proficiency, and cognition abilities to understand patterns in data so you can predict where threats might occur next. As a threat intelligence expert, you will require short term and long-term reports depicting the various evaluations and recommendations needed to mitigate any prospective threat.
Threat intelligence skills are one of the most demanded cyber security skills in today’s job market, as most of the companies face many threats and challenges. Threat intelligence skilled experts can find the best solution for such issues using machine learning.
5. Incident Response
Cybersecurity professionals who respond to data breach incidents, malware, and DDoS (Distributed Denial Of Services) attacks must develop incident response plans that depreciate damages. In addition, they need to address the issue logically by minimising injuries and protecting their organisation from such cyberattacks.
Incident response management skills help you be prepared for the worst. They include detecting, assessing, and mediating threat contingencies to avoid subsequent recurrence. It would be best if you also had problem-solving abilities and advanced analytical skills that will allow you to identify factors behind a security lapse to prevent cyber breaches in future events.
There is a high demand for incident response skills from cybersecurity professionals because it enables them to identify a security incident immediately. Organisations demand the best possible solutions instantly before the intrusion causes any damage. In the next five years, there will be at least 37 per cent growth of job potential for those experts in incident response.
6. Perimeter Security
In perimeter security, threat recognition is done through the use of firewalls and browser isolation systems. In addition, pattern analysis helps monitor a system’s behaviour as it targets and attacks an organisation or individual.
With the possibility that perimeter security is less effective on its own, cyber security professionals create other kinds of internal security approaches to apply high-quality security processes. To create a secure network, many aspects need attention from those who work in this field, such as firewalls and surveillance detection systems which help detect threats coming into your network from outside sources.
7. Penetration Testing
Penetration testing is when professionals try to exploit security vulnerabilities in systems or end-user accounts. They measure how feasible it would be for attackers to succeed and the consequences of taking over a system. Penetration tests help managers prioritise remediation efforts because the information shows them their most serious security problems.
Penetration testing prevails as one of the in-demand cybersecurity skills because it evaluates a company’s ability to protect its networks, applications, and endpoints. As a result, the majority of the firms require cyber security professionals with penetration testing skills to identify and prioritise security risks, manage vulnerabilities, verify existing security programs and much more.
8. Digital Forensics
Digital Forensics is identifying, extracting, and documenting evidence from digital media, which can be used by a court to solve complicated cases. It provides forensic teams with tools and techniques that are best suited for solving digital-related issues.
Cyber security skills are increasingly in demand because of an increasing number of data breaches. These experts do the aftermath work after cyber-attacks and help companies get their lost data back. It also prevents further similar issues from happening again. In addition, this skill enables businesses to improve their overall cybersecurity by detecting any vulnerabilities within a system before being exploited or used against them with harmful intent.
To Sum Up
Cybersecurity requires constant up-skilling and advanced cyber training. It is essential to update real-time modules, training constantly, and experiential countermeasures to address the recurring cyber threat. The cybersecurity industry is set for magnificent growth, and it provides exciting career opportunities. You can gain the necessary and highly demanded skills yourself of the options in cyber security across the globe. Check cybersecurity certificate programs at EC Council University if you are looking your career in cyber security space and want to opt for an offline or online degree in cyber security.
