Each year, the cybersecurity risk has been growing. This makes cybersecurity experts one of the most sought-after tech professionals across the globe. There aren’t enough of them to satisfy the demand. According to the latest figures, there were 3.5 million cybersecurity positions around the world — and the number keeps increasing.
This means it’s an ideal time to be an analyst in cybersecurity. The escalating demand makes it possible to make a thriving freelance career in this field, and gain full control of your career’s prospects. Here’s a complete guide to help you do precisely that.
What Are Freelance Cyber Security Jobs?
As a cyber security professional freelance, you provide an impartial perspective on security-related projects. Your duties require you to work with, design, and develop cybersecurity initiatives for independent clients.
The most common titles for jobs for this field are security expert, cyber security expert, security advisor cybersecurity analyst or information security expert and security engineer. When you work as a freelancer, you are able to balance your work security and the other tasks of administration and sales running a business which include locating new clients, submitting contracts, and coordinating several projects.
You may also employ an agency or placement company which places you on temporary projects and allows you to work as a self-employed basis.
How Can I Get a Freelance Cyber Security Job?
To be able to get a freelancing cyber security position, you must have the minimum education the equivalent of a bachelor’s level qualification in cybersecurity or an equivalent IT-related field as well as some professional expertise.
You may also be able to obtain certifications that customers are likely to find appealing, like a Security + CE, MCSE, CCNA, CISSP, CISA, PA-QSA and ISA as well as security clearances for contractors working for the government.
While you are able to specialize in one area, it’s also beneficial to be familiar with various systems, products and networks as this will allow you to submit bids for more work. It is also necessary to possess a driver’s license and the capability to travel in a client’s office. Essential skills include analytical, technical, communication and organizational abilities.
Cyber Security Jobs and Freelancing / Consulting
As is to be expected, financial institutions and banks employ the highest amount of cyber security professionals, followed by defense, aerospace, and other companies.
What happens to small and medium-sized businesses with limited technology resources and consequently a lower budget for hiring? That’s where you can work as a contract freelancer in cyber security.
Are you familiar with Robert Herjavec from The Shark Tank? He created Herjavec Group, which is the Herjavec Group, a cyber security service company.
A Vice President of Herjavec Group, Melissa Zicopula, explained, “Partnership with a third party Security Operations Center (SOC) provider can be beneficial for businesses with the smallest IT resources and do not have internal security know-how”.
I understand the investment in SOC is a significant amount that is beyond the capabilities of freelancers. But, you can provide your cyber security expertise to fill in-demand positions.
Tar learning
The best part is that there’s not a standard path to take in the event that you decide to make a career out of cybersecurity. If you decide to take cybersecurity as a major in your undergraduate studies or you’re starting after working for years as an expert in a totally other field, you are able to study the subject and land a job in this field.
Here are a few ways to start your career in cybersecurity.
Learn From Industry Experts
If you’re thinking about going to college for the bachelor’s degree, you may take various excellent cybersecurity courses to get a deeper understanding of the subject.
Find the most effective cybersecurity programs by looking into different institutions, reading reviews and speaking with professionals working in the field.
Participate In Bootcamp Programs
If you think a formal bachelor’s or master’s in cybersecurity aren’t right for you, consider taking any of these most effective cybersecurity courses to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to succeed in this field.
Before you enroll in an online course, go through its content to make sure they cover topics that are interesting to you and give you enough experience to be confident in your field.
The research you conduct could be lengthy because you’ll need to take into consideration factors such as time of the course, your budget, as well as the amount of knowledge you have prior to the course.
What Essential Abilities you need for Cybersecurity
If you’re looking to build the necessary qualifications to succeed in the world of cybersecurity You’ll likely need to concentrate on certain of the most important abilities required to succeed in this field.
The most effective cybersecurity abilities are:
- Networking and administration of systems. As a cybersecurity professional, a large portion of your work will involve managing and configuring computers. You’ll need to be knowledgeable with computer settings and features and adept at system administration. Additionally, you’ll require networking management skills to comprehend details of transmission. Learn these skills by taking the certification programs like CompTIA Security+.
- Experience working with Operating Systems. A good sense of how operating systems such as Windows, macOS, or Linux function and a passion to computer science is crucial for cybersecurity professionals to carry out tests such as malware analysis computer forensics as well as penetration testing.
- Enhancing the security of your network. Network security control is an essential ability for cybersecurity professionals who understand how firewalls can block unauthorised access within a network of a company. Furthermore, you require the ability to comprehend Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), IT security policies, as well as Intrusion Detection Syndrome and Intrusion Prevention Syndrome (IDS/IPS ) systems to become a successful security professional.
It will also aid in improving your skills in:
- Programming languages such as C, C++, Python, JavaScript, PHP, and SQL
- Cloud security as well as application development security
- Security of the Blockchain
- Internet of Things (IoT) security
- Artificial intelligence
Top In-Demand Specialized Cyber Security Job Post
Vulnerability Assessment
Vulnerability assessment is a method of identifying, defining and prioritizing weaknesses (weaknesses) of IT systems and software. Security assessment reports provide details about the weaknesses of the system of an organization.
The report will help an organization to understand threats better and put in place the controls to mitigate or eliminate risks. As a freelancer, you are able to conduct vulnerability assessments using different software tools that are free or paid like automatic vulnerability scanners.
Penetration Testing
Penetration testing is a valid cyber-attack that can be carried out on an system. It is essentially, hacking is replicated by using the tools and methods hackers could use. The goal for penetration tests is to evaluate how secure the systems are.
Professionals who are proficient in ethical hacking may conduct penetration testing with a range of tools, both paid and free.
Incident Handling and Response
The purpose of incident management as well as response, is to recognize and react to disruptive events to limit the impact to acceptable limits.
These incidents can due to cyber-attacks within the network or because of errors, accidents or even a system/process malfunction. Many organizations do not have the ability to handle incidents and reaction. As freelancers, you could aid the business in understanding the effects and strategies to limit it as well as to prevent it from happening again.
Audit and Compliance
Companies must comply with different regulations to ensure their stakeholders security and safety.
For instance, GDPR compliance is required for any business that has customers located in Europe regardless of where the business is located. Freelancers can aid organizations in getting compliance and even conduct audits.
In the same way, companies who want to be confident should look for ISO 27000 and similar certifications. Consultants in freelance can be able to audit or certify companies.
Last Thoughts
I’m sure you’ve learned how to utilize your cyber security knowledge for freelance or consulting. Maybe this is an opportunity to grow your business.
If you’re seeking to climb up the corporate ladder, then you could create a dazzling resume or CV by adding more cyber security knowledge and experience when you work as a freelancer. The majority of employers will be impressed by your entrepreneurial flair and growing mentality.