CompTIA careers — 6 jobs you can get with CompTIA Security+

The importance of protecting our systems and networks is increasing dramatically due to the constant threats to our environment and landscape. Organizations should prioritize evaluating their Cyber Security policies and developing an IT infrastructure that can withstand cyber attacks. 

To combat today's dangers, essential Cyber Security preparation and response is being assigned to an increasing number of professional positions. For example, to prevent cyber attacks and vulnerabilities from infiltrating systems, IT professionals must help identify them. System Administrators, also known as sysadmins, and related IT functions are now extremely important.

If you're trying to break into IT, you may have heard of CompTIA Security+ If you study for this certification, which careers could you hope to achieve? Let's take a look at six jobs you can get with CompTIA Security+

Which Cyber Security skills does Security+ help you develop?

To start with, CompTIA certifications and exams are known and respected worldwide.

Their exams are created through a rigorous process in which IT professionals collaborate and discuss what knowledge, skills, and abilities are needed to perform specific tasks. You can trust that the topics of CompTIA Security+ match the expertise that modern cybersecurity professionals need.

To succeed in any Cyber Security role, you need to be able to:

• Determine the security status of the corporate environment and then propose and implement the best security measures
• Know about the Internet of Things (IoT), mobile, cloud and operational technologies that are all part of the hybrid environments that need to be monitored and secured
• Know all applicable regulations, including governance, risk and compliance principles
• Find, analyze, and take action on security-related events and occurrences.

CompTIA Security+ can help you develop skills in all these areas, leading to careers such as:

1. Cyber Security Expert

Cyber Security Experts continually assess threats and make plans to stop breaches by protecting an organization's information systems. Security specialists monitor, detect, evaluate, and respond to security incidents or anomalies to protect against cyber threats to ensure business activities continue without any problems.

Daily tasks include:

• Managing and monitoring unusual activities that could masquerade as a cyber attack and threat
• Implementing security controls to lock down vulnerabilities
• Building firewalls into network infrastructures
• Granting permissions and/or privileges to authorized users
• Suggesting security measures
• Evaluating and designing security strategies for cyber resilience

These extensive job skills make Cyber Security Specialists highly sought-after. According to Glassdoor, the average advertised salary for a Cyber Security Specialist is £66,041.

2. System Administrator

System Administrator, or sysadmin, may be the career for you if you enjoy managing and maintaining information systems, infrastructure, and business application systems while assessing, recommending, and implementing security improvements.

On a daily basis, a sysadmin will be involved in:

• Analyzing, troubleshooting and troubleshooting information systems
• Installing operating system software, patches or upgrades
• Configure, optimize and monitor performance
• Perform server-build implementations (hybrid and cloud)

CompTIA Security+ is an excellent overview of the key competencies that a System Administrator needs to secure their systems. At present, the average salary for a System Administrator in the UK is £40,201.

3. Security Administrator

Security Administrators focus on establishing secure systems to protect data and reviewing internal policies. They are solely concerned with a company's Cyber Security resilience by understanding security requirements and preventing and protecting against dangerous security risks.

Security Administrator job duties include:

• Integrating security requirements into systems
• Installing firewalls or other security tools
• Implementing security plans tailored to the needs of the organization
• Performing regular scans and regular security audits
• Monitoring network traffic and responding to anomalies

CompTIA Security+ helps you develop all these skills as well as the confidence to build a reliable defense system. It's no surprise that the demand for Security Administrators is increasing and these skills are richly rewarded. According to Glassdoor, the average UK salary for a Security Administrator is £37,654.

4. Security Analyst

A company's Cyber Security architecture relies heavily on Security Analysts. To identify cyber threats and make changes to defend the organization, they use their knowledge of threats, vulnerabilities and mitigations to:

• Manage and configure tools to monitor activity on the network
• Analyze reports from these tools to identify unusual network behaviour
• Proactively identify network vulnerabilities through penetration testing, vulnerability scanning and vulnerability assessment reports
• Plan and recommend changes to increase network security
• Apply security patches to protect the network

CompTIA Security+ helps professionals develop the essential competencies needed to conduct all these activities. In the UK, an experienced Cyber Security Analyst can earn over £60,000.

5. Security Engineer

A Security Engineer is at the forefront of preventing illegal access to a company's systems. To create and maintain a system that is secure against cyber attacks, they use their knowledge of security architecture, operations and program management. They keep abreast of emerging technologies, work closely with the IT team to develop a contingency plan, and are essential in developing and enforcing corporate security standards.

A Cyber Security Engineer may be responsible for:

• Creating new solutions to solve existing security problems
• Improving security capabilities by evaluating new technologies and processes
• Defining, implementing and maintaining corporate security policies
• Configure and install firewalls and intrusion detection systems (IDS)
• Respond to information security issues
• Monitor changes in software, hardware, facilities, telecommunications and user needs
• Make recommendations for changes in legal, technical and regulatory areas that impact IT security

Security Engineers use a variety of skills, including security architecture, which are covered in CompTIA Security+. For example, engineers often analyze and compare the security implications of different design models to determine which is best. In addition, they use security principles to secure the enterprise infrastructure and ensure the resilience and recovery of the security architecture, including backups, disaster recovery and business continuity.

According to Glassdoor, the average salary for Cyber Security Engineer is £61,153.

6. Help Desk Analyst

Every company's Cyber Security strategy should include a Help Desk Analyst. They use their talents to identify potential security risks in user-reported issues and use their knowledge of security operations to address incidents.

Moreover, they are often the first point of contact for users who have problems with hardware or software, playing a crucial role in the overall security of the organization.

Help Desk Analysts perform tasks such as:

• Providing technical support to computer users
• Answering questions or resolving computer problems for customers in person, by telephone or electronically
• Assisting in the use of computer hardware and software
• Identifying security threats, attacks and vulnerabilities
• Reporting security incidents to the cybersecurity team for resolution

Help Desk Analysts can discover security incidents on the front lines of customer support using skills learned for the CompTIA Security+ certification. For example, a security incident could occur if many customers experience the same issue, such as difficulty logging in, being kicked off a site, or being told their password has been changed.

In the UK, Help Desk Analysts earn an average of £35,000.
 

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Perhaps one of them is right for you? See all our CompTIA courses.