How to become a cybersecurity consultant

Introduction

An exciting career route for an information security professional is that of a cybersecurity consultant. This is an empowering option for a career, but how do you do it?

This article will detail what you need to become a cybersecurity consultant and what the general career path will look like. By the time you are finished reading it, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge of how to take this path if you so choose.

What exactly is a cybersecurity consultant?

Many organizations have an information security professional, or a team in some cases, to meet their information security needs. When an organization’s budget or need does not warrant full-time information security staff, they hire a cybersecurity consultant.

This shifts the traditional balance of power to the consultant: they can work for as many clients as they want. If the demand exists, the consultant gets to essentially say how much work he wants. Being your own boss has its perks.

Requirements

To become a cybersecurity consultant, it will take a combination of skills, education and years of work experience, with an option of certification.

Cybersecurity consultant skills

Cybersecurity consultants have been called the “catch-all information security expert” and for good reason. A day in the life pulls from an all-inclusive information security skill set that ranges from beginner to expert level.

Some of the skills that you will want to have before opening up shop officially are listed below. Please note that this is just a snapshot: Depending on what path you choose, there may be others you’ll find useful or necessary as well.

Penetration testing

This position will require you to act as both the attacker and defender with regard to your client’s network and security environments. One example of real-life penetration testing skills is the ability to measure (Read more...)