A cyber security analyst is likely to have a broad range of responsibilities, depending on the size and scope of the organisation.
In general, they will have responsibility for monitoring an organisations IT and network systems, with a view to detecting and preventing cyber threats and any type of criminal activity that may impact on the organisation itself.
These threats may be external, and sometimes internal as well.
A cyber analyst may work on their own, or in a team with people having similar roles. These are sometimes referred to as an information security consultant or a cyber intelligence analyst.
Cyber Security Analyst Salaries
Any salary figures should always be treated with a degree of caution. They can vary considerably depending upon the company, the industry, the company itself and the experience of the individual.
Industry experts indicate that a starting salary should be around approx US$ 30,000 / US$35000, rising to approx US$ 80,000 / US$ 90,000.
In addition to salary, many companies will offer a range of employee benefits, depending upon the industry sector, whether the job is remote or in-house and the individuals levels of skill and experience.
Common benefits can include : a bonus, a pension scheme, medical insurance, travel allowances, expenses, relocation or housing allowance, gym membership, mentoring, training and qualification assistance.
These benefits are often negotiable, and many companies are now being a lot more flexible in how they can help employees maximise their work/life balance.
For current trends in cyber security analyst salaries, it is a good idea to have a quick browse through common job openings on sites such as Indeed or Monster.
Cyber Security Analyst Working Hours
One of the aspects of a lot of cyber security jobs is that the company will expect some of their employees to do shift work, and work unsocial hours.
This is often true of big companies, or companies in sectors such as financial services. This is simply because their systems need continual monitoring 24 /7, 365 days a year.
Where this applies, the role of cyber security is likely to be deemed a high priority, with the understanding that any data breach has to be dealt with as soon as possible.
The role of a cyber security analyst will be part of this process of continual monitoring of systems, either remotely or in-house
Cyber Security Analyst Qualifications
A cyber security analyst will need to understand and have experience of a wide range of different IT systems, an understanding of computer science, and broad experience of cyber and information security.
Organisations will differ as to what they deem to be appropriate qualifications.
Some will place a heavy emphasis on degrees that are computer-based, but may be willing to take people who have degrees in subjects such as maths or physics.
Other organisations will be happy to hire people who can prove that they have the relevant experience and skills, but are lacking in formal qualifications.
This is one of the job roles in cyber security that would be deemed by most people to be available through an entry-level route.
Cyber security entry-level jobs tend to be those that people can work their way towards by starting off in relatively straightforward IT jobs, and working their way up.
Many companies are now offering some type of formal training, either in-house or online that people can work towards doing their day job as well
In addition, there are many online courses, both degrees and different levels of certifications that people can work on in their own time, and gain valid qualifications that will be acceptable to most employers.
