Learn more about cyber security and why cyber security jobs are so important, now more than ever.
What is cyber security?
The National Cyber Security Centre defines cyber security as “how individuals and organisations reduce the risk of a cyber attack.” They say that the core function of cyber security is “to protect the devices we all use and the services we access from theft or damage.”
Cyber security is also sometimes referred to as ‘information technology security’.
Why is cyber security so important?
Cyber security jobs have become crucial in the past few years as businesses of all types are collecting, processing and storing more data than they ever have before. This data is also sensitive, as it may involve financial information, intellectual property, personal information or any other information that may have negative consequences for people if unauthorized access occurs.
You only have to look at the newspapers over the past few years to see that the volume of cyber attacks is growing, and their level of sophistication is as well. Take, for example, the Ashley Madison hack of 2015, where the details of 37 million users were compromised – not ideal when you consider that Ashley Madison is an extramarital dating site!
The frequency and severity of such hacks make it even more important than ever for any company tasked with safeguarding information to protect that information – whether it is business or personal.
What are the challenges associated with cyber security?
Organisations must coordinate their cyber security efforts throughout their entire information system to ensure it is effective. This covers:
- Application security – constant updates and testing will be needed to ensure apps are secure from attack
- Cloud security – protecting data in an environment that is 100% online presents a large number of challenges
- Data security – protecting the data inside networks and applications is a separate level of security for company and customer information
- Database and infrastructure security – protecting your network’s physical equipment and devices is essential.
- Disaster recovery/business continuity planning – you will need a plan for how the business will go on in the event of a data breach or natural disaster.
- Endpoint security – the process of protecting remote access to a company’s network, which is quite often a weak point for data
- Mobile security
- Network security – the process of protecting your network from unwanted attacks and intrusions
However, the most difficult challenge in cyber security is the fact that security risks themselves are ever-evolving! In the past, many cyber security efforts have focused on protecting the most crucial system components against known threats. This effort isn’t enough now – as threats are advancing rapidly and changing faster than most companies can keep up with. As a result, a more adaptive and proactive data-focused approach to cyber security is needed.
If you want to shore up your cyber security team with educated and security-minded employees, please get in touch with the experienced team at Agile Recruit.
