Wondering how to become a cyber security consultant? Of course you do; it’s part of a growing industry that’s exciting and challenging. But if you’re deciding if it’s a career meant for you, here are some things you need to think about before starting this career choice:
Table of Contents
How to become a cyber security consultant? Click below to find out more!
What Is a Cyber Security Consultant?
Cyber Security Consultant vs Contractor
What Does a Cyber Security Consultant Do?
Skills Required for a Cyber Security Consultant
Cyber Security Consultant Qualifications
How Long Does It Take to Become a Cyber Security Consultant?
How Much Does a Cyber Security Consultant Make?
How to Become a Cyber Security Consultant?
Cyber Security Consultant vs Analyst
Cyber Security Consultant vs Engineer
Do Cyber Security Consultants Need to Know Penetration Testing?
What Is a Cyber Security Consultant?
A cyber security consultant (or subject matter expert) is a person who provides advice and information to companies on how to improve or develop their own security practice.
A consultant is expected possess a variety of knowledge related to security issues and technologies, such as computer architecture, software used for security, encryption, physical security, data audit and protection, security risk and compliance, etc.
Cyber Security Consultant vs Contractor
Unfortunately, many professionals, including employers, confuse the term consultant with contractor; they’re both mutually exclusive roles.
There are different types of cyber security consulting roles available. Consulting companies will even refer to their junior employees as consultants; however, for the purpose of today’s article, I will use the term, in the correct sense to mean subject matter expert.
A contractor is generally considered a third-party worker regardless of experience; whereas a consultant is temporarily brought aboard as an experienced guide to improve or scale the employer’s current security practices or even help the employer create a security practice from scratch.
A consultant can be an individual, or work as part of a consulting team. They can work as freelancers on short-term assignments, or they can be employed full time by larger companies who need their expertise regularly.
What Does a Cyber Security Consultant Do?
A good way to understand what a consultant does is by thinking of a medical expert who helps people understand and deal with their health problems; similarly, a security consultant works with organizations to understand and deal with their IT “health” problems.
They help these organizations to understand their IT infrastructure, and its ability to defend against attack by assessing the company’s risk and advise on the best ways of dealing with it.
They may be called in if a breach has occurred or they might be hired before an incident occurs to advise companies on how best to prevent breaches from happening in the first place.
Skills Required for a Cyber Security Consultant
Broad Experience
Security consultants should have a broad IT security background to understand all areas of cybersecurity from applications and networks all the way up to enterprise level security processes for new products or services even if those skills aren’t necessarily their area of expertise in the beginning!
It’s important for aspiring consultants to get experience working with as many types of business and technologies as possible. For instance, if you work in finance or healthcare, then you need to be knowledgeable about IT infrastructure and security issues that may affect these industries specifically.
This will help you understand the specific needs of various clients and industries and how to best help them.
Good People and Technical Skills
To become a cyber security consultant, effective communication with clients is important.
Your clients will undoubtedly have questions about their security infrastructure affecting their business needs.
Therefore, it’s important to explain technical concepts in a way that they understand and can relate back to their situation as well as make recommendations based on the security needs of the clients.
For example, if a client asks you what an intrusion detection system (IDS) is, it’s not enough for you to tell them that it detects intrusions into the network; instead, you’ll need to explain how an IDS works, what information it provides, and how it will benefit the client.
Knowledge of Latest Threats
Cyber security consultants deal with the ever-changing threats posed by malicious actors and security vulnerabilities that can put a company at risk of losing their reputation or business altogether.
You will need to know about the different types of attack and how they operate to breach a system.
It’s also important that consultants keep up with current cyber security trends and news stories. What was considered an advanced threat last year may not be today because attackers will continue to exploit new vulnerabilities; therefore, by staying current, you’re much more likely to implement the correct strategies to stop such attacks and help protect against them in the future.
Knowledge of Latest Technology
Security Consultants must be aware of new tools and technologies and how they can help improve security.
If you see something that could be used to prevent or mitigate cyber threats, your job is to make sure your clients are aware of them so they can take steps to implement those tools and technologies to protect themselves from malicious threats.
Cyber Security Consultant Qualifications
Because businesses and organizations are looking to you to help improve or design their security practice from the ground-up, they won’t settle for an individual that’s considered junior or mid-level.
To earn the title, you’ll need to have several years of experience as a cyber security architect, cyber security director, or even chief information security officer (CISO).
How Long Does It Take to Become a Cyber Security Consultant?
Typically, the minimum time to become a security consultant is 10 – 15 years.
Effectively, it should be enough time for you to feel confident in your ability to guide organizational security policies and practices; if you don’t have this level of comfort, you’re probably not ready.
How Much Does a Cyber Security Consultant Make?
Salaries for consultants vary widely, but the approximate salary range runs between $150k – $300k per year.
How much you make as a security consultant depends on several factors:
- The size of your company and its location
- Your previous job title
- Whether or not you have experience working as an independent contractor
- Your level of experience
- The level of expertise required for the project
How to Become a Cyber Security Consultant?
Once you gain the necessary qualifications and skillset, you have the option to either freelance as an individual or offer your services to company that already provides cyber security services.
Sometimes a security consultants may be known as a Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) or Fractional CISO depending on location and the amount of time invested.
Cyber Security Consultant vs Analyst
The role of a cyber security analyst is to monitor the security of an organization’s network and systems, identify any vulnerabilities that helps the security team put measures in place to fix them.
The duties of a consultant are more varied as they may be responsible for anything from writing reports on recent attacks and trends in the industry to auditing policies, procedures, and networks for vulnerabilities.
The work is often more project-based than ongoing monitoring or maintenance tasks carried out by analysts.
Cyber Security Consultant vs Engineer
If you’re considering a career as a consultant, it’s important to understand the differences between consultants and engineers.
Both roles are fundamental in the field of cyber security, but they often have different objectives and responsibilities.
Engineers are generally focused on technical aspects of computer networks and systems while consultants focus on business decisions related to technical matters.
Generally speaking, engineers have more technical knowledge than consultants do; however, since both groups play important roles in creating secure systems for businesses and individuals alike, it is possible for those with less experience or education to become consultants through hard work or additional training.
Do Cyber Security Consultants Need to Know Penetration Testing?
Most people who work in this field do not have expertise as a penetration tester.
If you want to pursue penetration testing as a career path and leverage your skills as an asset when looking for consulting opportunities, then that could be something you’d want to consider doing.
You can get certifications such as the Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) or the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) which will make you more marketable because those certifications are highly regarded and respected by employers.
Ultimately, penetration testing is a valuable skill to have, but it’s not necessary to become a cyber security consultant.
by Amit Doshi
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