Is It Possible To Switch Career To Cyber Security Engineer From Networking Domain?

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Introduction

Nowadays professionals are more proactive about their jobs. You must keep up with the ups and downs of the job market. Professionals must be sure their skills and abilities remain relevant and up-to-date. IT experts are constantly reviewing present skills and looking to the future to upgrade the skills that will be needed. In the present job market, some positions are being faded away while others are being created concurrently. As an IT professional it is important to comprehend those new jobs and prepare yourself for them. Cybersecurity is one of the quickly expanding sectors which an experienced IT expert may consider as an easy career switch.
 

Cyber security is required in almost all industries. Industries like finance, government, retail or legal everyone need strong cyber security. IT experts with Networking domains can switch to the job as Cyber security engineer or Network security engineer in an easy way. It is achievable with appropriate planning and preparation. Let's first understand networking domain jobs and cyber security in detail.

What Is Networking Domain?

Computer Networking is one of the most demanding professions and with the different technological improvements, the Networking field is evolving quite vastly. So if you are choosing Computer Networking as your career, it will be amazing! But pause.. have you determined the specific Networking domain to make your career goal?
 

As said above, Computer Networking is especially a very broad domain. From the basics of Routing and Switching to the advances of Wireless Networking, there are various fields. Now, it’s up to you to explore all these domains and choose the suitable one. In this post, you will know about all these Networking Domains roles.

Routing and Switching: 
 

It is the primary functionality of computer networking. It addresses the skills and knowledge mandated to enter into the Networking discipline. Some of the considerable standard job designations are Network Analyst and Network Administrator. 

Security: 
 

In today’s world, cyber threats are increasing day by day. It becomes important for every institution to have Network Security solutions. Network Security is a wide area that addresses numerous security measures and technologies. Some of the standard job designations are Cybersecurity Engineer, and Security Analyst.

Wireless Networking: 

In the past companies depended on cables for connecting devices. But, now businesses are selecting cloud computing and wireless devices for proper functioning. Some of the standard jobs are Wireless Network Engineer and Wireless Network Administrator.

Our Learners Also Read: What is Cybersecurity and Why It is Important?
 

What is Cyber Security?

Cyber security is the technique of safeguarding networks and servers from vicious attacks. It's also understood as electronic information security or information technology security. You can apply this term in various contexts, including business to mobile computing. Also, you can divide it into a few common categories. Public entities, Medical services, and retailers encountered the most data security breaches. Some of these fields are more attractive to cybercriminals as they organise financial and medical data. But all businesses that operate networks can certainly be targeted. They target corporate intelligence or customer data. Experts or engineers having expertise in cyber security work to protect against these breaches.

 Cybersecurity Engineering involves the design and management of security policies. They apply security protocols to protect the information, server, networks, and computers. A cyber security engineer creates and implements protected network solutions. These were developed to safeguard against hackers and cyberattacks. They are also involved in the continuous monitoring and testing of these systems. Let's understand how to switch your career from the networking domain to the cyber security engineer. 

Once you’ve determined to transition from an IT career into cybersecurity, your following query might be, “How can I transit?” First, you all have to understand that security is a continuous process. It is more than the group operating security tools and technologies to protect the institution. Hence security perspective is important for anyone intending to work as a security professional. Professionals with a networking domain believe in how things can work limited to their group or department. But, the security perspective needs to think about how things can be fallen or attacked to identify the weak point on the network. You have to think like an attacker to understand the loophole in applications or systems.

So here is some guidance listed to change your role to the Cyber Security domain.
 

1. Evaluate your existing strength and determine the security role.
 

2. Following very important step is to get your ambition aligned with your current role. You can do this by having a significant discussion with your current supervisor. You can discuss your thoughts & desire to switch your career to the Cyber Security domain. You can also request your leadership for internal transfer within the cybersecurity team.
 

3. Once you are ready with your utmost goal, take giant action and dedicate additional time to learn new skills.
 

4. You can start your journey with the different tools on which you are currently working. You should start working on the security aspect of your current tool or technologies. You may get the necessary vendor-specific security certification. Then you can go for CompTIA, CompTIA Security+ certifications, and Network+.
 

5. You may also take support from your current security team. They may help you in learning complex concepts. 

Conclusion

Switching careers can be challenging. But it is achievable with appropriate planning, and execution. You have to examine the capabilities developed in your current networking domain. You can use the current domain in your cyber security career. One should figure out the skills required in your new job as a cybersecurity engineer. You can do some research and start learning the essential skills required in your future role. Establish contact and take support from professionals in your future career. Don't forget to revise your portfolio with the skills required in the future job. Hope this post will help you in beginning your experience in the field of cyber security. 
 

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