Cybersecurity is gradually proving its importance in the modern world. The demand for this career has increased significantly over recent years.
There are various professions you can pursue in this industry. Some examples are cyber engineers, managers, and analysts. What do cybersecurity analysts do?
What happens in a day in the life of a cybersecurity analyst? My personal working story will give you a complete picture of this career.
Overview of Cyber Security Analyst
A cybersecurity analyst helps protect organizations from cyber attacks and threats. They will develop the tools and protocols to tackle all attacks. Besides, the analysts maintain the company’s networks and hardware components.
Most analysts have a deep knowledge of network and IT security. They have a lot of hands-on experience dealing with online criminals and malware. When an attack happens, they will join the first line to help protect the system.
Also, analysts will help test and assess the security level of a certain digital asset. They may perform pen testing on a network to find solutions to make the network more durable.
I have gone through my job experience working as a cyber analyst. It includes my daily activities with the typical tasks that I perform at the workplace.
Workplace and Job Overview
I have worked for a tech organization and follow a full-time working schedule. And as you can see, the term cyber analyst is vast to describe my job’s nature.
My duties revolve around technical writing and testing the program. To be more specific, I specialize in writing security benchmarks. They are the baseline for different security protocols and performance in a business.
Security benchmarks are a list of the things you can do to protect a digital asset. The projects I develop can apply to companies that match the terms of use.
My projects are known as guidance to make a system more secure. Customers can purchase the checklist to help protect their systems against attacks.
My primary tools for building these projects are programming tools and languages. I also use many IT resources to assist my working process.
The company’s manager will receive customers’ requests. Then, he will set up a plan and the exact type of benchmark I have to build. After building the benchmark, I have to test it carefully before finalizing the project.
Here are the daily activities that happen at my workplace.
1. Meeting with the Boss (8:30 AM)
I come to the workplace at 8:30 AM and have a short discussion with the manager. I will report on the progress and finished work on my current projects.
Then, the team manager will tell me about the upcoming projects. For example, he may request me to build a virtual machine benchmark. Then, he will set out clear goals and conditions for the project.
2. Project Planning (9:00 AM)
I will start building the project after spending a short time mapping out a development plan. Then, I will search for a document that focuses on securing virtual machines.
I will review the document carefully and select the best measures for the project. The next step is to build a detailed draft benchmark based on the ideas I picked.
Besides the document, I must review the manager’s requests carefully. It ensures that all the protocols I choose can match the features of virtual machines.
3. Review & Assessment (10:00 AM)
I normally finish the first sample of the checklist at 10:00 AM. The next thing to do is to submit the draft to the manager and wait for his feedback.
The manager will review my project and check its efficiency. In the meantime, I will switch to the other unfinished benchmarks and continue my job.
The job continues until the break time at 12:00 AM. I usually go out for a quick lunch and review the schedules for the afternoon’s work.
4. Project Adjustment (1:00 PM)
I return to my normal benchmark building processes at 1:00 PM. The manager usually sends his reviews on my project in the afternoon. Then, I will adjust the checklist based on his requests.
During the editing process, I can discuss with my manager and request more details. It helps me save time adjusting the checklist.
5. Team Meeting (4:00 PM)
The cybersecurity department usually holds a 30-minute meeting near the end of the day. The team members will discuss the progress of the current projects. They also make new ideas for developing security benchmarks.
Essential Skills
You need a combination of technical and soft skills to thrive in this industry. Some essential technical skills are:
- A solid foundation in computer science
- Mastering at least one programming tool or language
- Having deep experience in dealing with cyber attacks
- High skills in dealing with databases and managing networks
- The ability to explain technical concepts
Meanwhile, these soft skills will assist you a lot in your future career path:
- Teamwork
- High responsibility
- The ability to manage time
- The capacity to endure high stress
- Attention to small numbers and details
- Presentation and communication skills
- The thirst for updating new skills and knowledge
Is Cybersecurity Analysis For You?
Cyber security is one of the most rewarding careers in the IT world. In 2024, analysts in this field can earn an average salary of $109,396 annually, not to mention the extra pay you earn when delivering high performance.
The career prospects of cyber analysts are very promising. A survey forecasts that the job demand in this field will increase by 35% from 2021 to 2031.
Yet, analysts must possess high skills and experience to thrive in this industry. Also, they must be able to cope with constant challenges and high stress.
If you are willing to overcome a lot of challenges to develop as a successful cybersecurity analyst, this career will be one of the best routes to consider.
Final Thoughts
Choosing cyber security analysis was one of the right decisions in my life. This career brings me rewarding incomes and endless opportunities to grow. The constant challenges also add more enjoyment to this work.
My dream is to start a cybersecurity company in the future. I will accumulate as much experience and skill as possible to make my dream come true.
Thank you for reading!