Data is the most valuable currency on the Internet and these days, there’s an epic amount of it generated and stored on a daily basis. In fact, according to the World Economic Forum, it’s estimated that 463 exabytes of data will be created each day globally by 2025.
Hackers know this and spend their time trying to break into secure systems to get that data. Fortunately, cybersecurity experts are there to build, maintain, and monitor the security of computer systems and networks.
Since cybersecurity is a subset of rapidly advancing technology, it changes all the time. From finding improvements to uncovering (and then patching) security flaws, people who work cybersecurity jobs have to stay on top of the latest in their field. To help with that, we’ve asked top cybersecurity experts to give us their top 5 predictions for upcoming changes in the field.
1. There Will Be a Larger Focus on DevSecOps Skills
You may have heard of Dev and DevOps, but DevSecOps is the intersection of development, operations, and security. According to cybersecurity professional Sean Pike, it’s more than just a bridge between product engineering and security. Instead, he says companies are “looking for individuals that have hard technical experience in all three [fields].”
“In previous years the security industry seemed to frame DevSecOps professionals as those with the soft skills necessary to talk to application developers and DevOps engineers…Security professionals are going to have to be competent in Security, Development, and Ops.”
That means that a cybersecurity engineer does more than just facilitate communication about security between developers and DevOps engineers. Instead, they do the technical work involved and work alongside the other engineers.
2. ICS With IoT Will Have a Huge Need for Cybersecurity Professionals
Industrial cybersecurity (ICS) and the Internet of Things (IoT) are both booming industries that are making gigantic technical leaps. From the Alexa in your kitchen to the ICS device running a system of machines in a factory, these tiny computers connected to networks do incredibly important work.
Jerry Smith, a cybersecurity professional, says that a glitch in an ICS with an IoT device could shut whole factories down, including factories that execute vital services. “Security will be paramount,” says Smith, “or literal lives could be at risk.” ICS with IoT will only continue to grow as factories work to reduce reliance on human workers.
“In terms of jobs this area should experience near explosive growth as more and more machines are coming to market AND being installed throughout all industries, corporations, and homes.”
3. Security Governance Will Be Redefined
Typically, security departments are much smaller than product engineering departments, which means they have fewer resources. Cybersecurity professionals have to manage their time between maintaining good security operations and developing new skills. Unfortunately, this can result in security practices being left by the wayside.
“I think that most security organizations would benefit from looking at what they’re doing today and asking themselves whether or not today’s practices align with what the expected practice is supposed to be,” says Sean Pike.
“If they aren’t meeting the bar, the best way to fix it is to create better security governance practices.” As time goes on, more standards for security governance will likely emerge and be adopted by many companies.
4. Cybersecurity Jobs Will Grow Internationally
As big tech companies grow in size, they often find ways to reduce costs while maintaining operations. One such strategy is to move physical locations. “Follow the data centers,” Sean Pike suggests. As companies move their data centers overseas, they will still need cybersecurity experts on-site, which means more cybersecurity jobs will become available throughout the world.
5. More Entry-Level Cybersecurity Positions Will Open Up
The current state of jobs in cybersecurity tends to be made up of people who worked as programmers or in sysadmin. While they might be new to some security concepts, they have work experience in the tech industry and are able to apply some of those principles to their work in cybersecurity.
Jerry Smith says that is soon to change. “As more people go through online boot camps, in-person courses, and of course, Universities begin to embrace the industry and adapt their curriculums you’ll finally see the talent pool of ‘entry-level’ analysts.” Once a pool of entry-level cybersecurity applicants is available, companies will be eager to hire them.
Become a Cybersecurity Expert
Are you interested in developing a career in cybersecurity? There’s never been a better time. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in cybersecurity are expected to grow by over 30% in the next 10 years, plus the median salary is nearly $100,000 a year.
Want to learn more about the cybersecurity industry? Check out our blog post with Dr. Christine Izuakor, one of the leading cybersecurity specialists who also teaches about the subject at Udacity.
You can get started learning on your path to a cybersecurity job by taking Udacity’s Introduction to Cybersecurity Nanodegree program today!
