Cyber Security Specialist

Cyber security is critical in our digital age to ensure online safety and the safety of the critical services that support our daily lives, such as power, transportation, and financial institutions.

Cyber Security specialists apply their technical knowledge and training to protect an organization’s data from internal and external threats, like illegal access and cybercrime. As a cyber security specialist, you’ll be required to maintain infrastructural security on a daily basis, and you’ll be faced with new and exciting challenges on a regular basis.

Cyber Security Roles and Respective Salaries in the UK

In the United Kingdom, the role of cyber security and the need to protect devices and data from cyber attacks have become extremely important today. Businesses in the United Kingdom are turning digital. As a result, they require information security expertise to protect their data. In the last year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, 39% of firms in the UK were subjected to cyber-attacks. Hence, there is a massive demand for Cyber Security experts.

The following are a handful of the areas in the UK where Cyber Security experts are desperately and urgently needed and where cyber security salary in the UK is high:

• England
• London
• Birmingham
• Leeds
• Bristol
• Coventry
• Manchester
• Scotland
• West Midlands
• Belfast
• Cheltenham
• Milton Keynes
• Edinburgh

Along with a zero percent unemployment rate, cyber security salary in the UK is exceptionally decent. According to Future Learn, the typical income for a Cyber Security specialist in the United Kingdom is between £50,000 and £80,000 per year.

As a Cyber Security specialist, your pay is determined by your work role. For example: According to Prospects, a cyber security analyst’s salary in the UK is between £25,000 and £35,000.

According to Future Learn and Burning Glass Technologies, here are some common IT security job positions, together with cyber security salary in the UK:

Future Learn further highlights that the most demanding cyber security jobs salary in the UK and the highest cyber security salary in London for the year 2021 were:

In 2022, cyber security salary in the UK saw significant wage gains than the previous year. This includes the following:

There is a strong demand and high cyber security analyst salary in the UK for Information Technology Security Professionals. So, what qualifications and abilities do you need to work in Cyber Security? Certifications in Cyber Security can lead to some of the best-paying Cyber Security jobs in the UK. In most cases, prior experience is also required.

Skills Needed to Become a Cyber Security Professional

Technical expertise, logical thinking and troubleshooting, verbal and written communication, the capacity to acquire new technology, and the ability to operate autonomously are all required talents a Cyber Security professional should possess. Within the topic of Cyber Security, there are numerous sub-disciplines.

To understand how network infrastructure can be attacked, you’ll need to study how it works; this includes learning hacker skills, understanding how systems might be infiltrated, and preparing defenses against such cybercrime attacks.

As a result, a cyber security professional might need a thorough understanding of:

• A functional understanding of how operating systems are built and managed
• A firm understanding of the fundamentals of computer networking and cloud security and computing
• Blockchain
• The ability to build and evaluate network architecture and Network Security
• Proficiency in Coding and programming languages like Java, Python, and C++
• Familiarity with MySQL database platforms
• Internet of Things (IoT)
• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Data and Information Security
• Threat Awareness, Cryptography, Risk Assessment, Identity Management, Application Security
• Cyber Security Legislation and Regulations

Cyber security salary in the UK is high, and in exchange they expect cyber security professional to hone good skill set. Therefore, IT professionals should be familiar with operating systems’ architecture, administration, and management (including various Linux distributions, Windows, and virtualization technologies). In addition, they should thoroughly know firewalls and network load balancers, along with some general programming/software development ideas and software analytics. And they should also be thorough in most common programming languages, such as Java, C/C++, disassemblers, assembly language, and scripting languages (PHP, Python, Perl, or shell).

This is the technical knowledge that underpins your practical hands-on experience. While spending time reading or learning something relating to your field of expertise every day is the greatest way to learn. Many employers require credentials as a condition of employment, and it’s understandable. Degrees and certifications were frequently a primary influence in employment and cyber security salary in the UK as certifications are vital for demonstrating a Cyber Security professional’s degree of understanding.

Why Work in Cyber Security Roles?

According to one estimate, 30,000 websites are hacked every day, with a new attack occurring every 39 seconds somewhere on the internet. In 2021, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 791,790 cybercrime-related complaints in the United States, up 69 percent from 2019. The total amount of money lost as a result of these allegations was $4.1 billion.

Professionals who can identify, respond to, and prevent cybercrime are in short supply in organizations all around the world. If you’ve been pondering a career move, the following are reasons why a career in Cyber Security might be worth looking into

High-Paying Job

The pay is rather substantial in the cyber world, where there is a high demand for qualified labor and a relatively short supply.

In the United Kingdom, the typical salary for a Cyber Security specialist is between £50,000 and £80,000 per year. The cyber security analyst’s salary in the UK is between £25,000 and £35,000, and a Cyber Security Engineer is paid £50,000 per year or £25.64 per hour.

Certification and Education

Cyber security specialists are typically self-taught or have degrees in unrelated employment sectors that have allowed them to shift into this field. Credible certifications are more than adequate to be deemed well-respected in this sector and can be used to enter or advance in the cyber world instead of a full college degree. It also easily allows you to be paid a higher cyber security salary in London.

Additional Job Openings

One of the most appealing aspects of this in-demand profession is the never-ending supply of employment openings. Figures from the worldwide information security workforce survey reveal that by the end of 2022, the UK will have 100,000 vacant Cyber Security jobs. So Cyber Security specialists can help save the economy by hiring more cyber security professionals.

Job Satisfaction

According to “The 2020 Cyber Security Professionals Salary, Skills, and Stress,” 96 percent of respondents are content with their job, and 87 percent are satisfied with their pay.

Exciting and Difficult Work

Cyber Security Professionals have the guarantee that there will be plenty of challenges and intriguing work coming their way on a daily basis. Cyber security is critical in today’s digital world for assuring online safety and the safety of critical computer systems that underpin our daily lives. For example, electricity, transportation, financial institutions, and infrastructure all rely on cyber security professionals to keep them safe since they are faced with new threats every day.

Digital Is the Way of the Future

It’s no surprise that, as cyber security becomes a more vital aspect of most industries, every company is eager to recruit a cyber security professional to secure their assets and confidential data. Every year, the average cost of a data breach is about $4 million US dollars on a global scale. For protection and safety, both the commercial and public sectors are looking to recruit a freelancer or full-time cyber security professional. Furthermore, start-ups and small digital enterprises are engaging professionals to cope with cyber security challenges in their operations.

Variety of Job Profiles

As a Cyber Security Certification Program is finished, specialists can decide the field of cyber security they want to pursue. They have a plethora of roles and jobs to pick from as new positions develop and existing roles grow to include new abilities. For example, a Data Scientist works with developing technologies like machine learning, a Penetration Tester solves puzzles and finds security weaknesses, and an Ethical Hacker works in large bounty programs.

Dynamic Field

Because cyber security is a highly dynamic industry, with new cyber threats emerging every day, it necessitates a dynamic skill set in people from many backgrounds to solve problems and protect against breaches and unethical cyber actions. By being involved in the cyber security industry, you can set yourself apart by assembling your own unique skill set from former professions, degrees, or schooling, such as information technology, administration, or accounting, all of which contribute to developing a strong cyber security skill set.

Top Companies That Hire for Cyber Security Roles in the UK

As the world is currently facing a global Cyber Security specialist shortage, Cyber Security positions are in great demand in the UK, and that number is only expected to rise.

If you have the necessary abilities, the following companies and many others are currently looking for and hiring Cyber Security specialists:

• Accenture
• IBM
• Capgemini
• Tata Consultancy Services
• BAE Systems Digital Intelligence
• Deloitte
• DXC Technologies
• KPMG
• CGI
• BT
• Wipro
• Synopsys
• F-Secure
• Amazon
• PwC
• FIS
• NCC Group
• Context Information Security
• Cisco Systems
• Verisure
• Fujitsu
• EY
• Bank of England
• Adarma
• NatWest Group
• Capgemini Invent
• Hewlett Packard Enterprise
• UK Ministry of Defense

Conclusion

The Cyber Security business has a lot of room for expansion and can provide you with exciting career options. Because there is still a scarcity of Cyber Security specialists and professionals, now is the greatest time to gain cyber security skills and enter the market.

As the skills gap continues to plague cyber security jobs salary in the UK, the Advanced Executive Program in Cybersecurity at Simplilearn will help you fill this gap. The program is designed to provide you with the skills you’ll need to become an expert in cyber security.

This Cyber Security Post Graduate Program will teach you how to defend your infrastructure and secure data in different ways, including cloud-based security, risk analysis and mitigation, and compliance. The curriculum includes cyber security courses that will provide you with foundational to advanced abilities.

With the increased usage of the internet and an increase in cyber-attacks, the demand for Cyber Security specialists will continue to grow, making your career as a Cyber Security expert more concrete than ever.