The Top Skills Needed In A Cyber Security Leader

The IT industry is in the middle of a massive period of growth, which is good news for anyone in tech who is looking to advance their career. The cybersecurity sector is expected to continue to undergo rapid expansion. According to research conducted by the Bureau of Labour Statistics, the projected growth for cybersecurity jobs through 2021 is 37 percent, which is almost unprecedented for any industry.

In other words, it’s a good time to be pursuing a career in cybersecurity. However, the mere fact that there are opportunities available is not enough to secure a future in the industry. In order to excel, there are certain traits and skills cybersecurity professionals need to exemplify.

Here is our list of the top skills every cybersecurity professional needs in order to be successful:

• Creativity: Cybersecurity requires tackling problems from nuanced angles and from multiple directions, which requires an ability to think outside the box.
• Up-to-date knowledge: Industry best practices can change virtually overnight, which means it’s crucial for cybersecurity professionals to stay updated on the most recent trends and technologies.
• Communication skills: Whether you’re speaking with clients, customers or teammates, it’s hard to overstate the importance of being able to articulate complex information to a general audience.
• Presentation skills: One of the most important skills for team leaders in any industry – and cybersecurity is no exception – is the ability to confidently address a crowd and communicate an idea.
• Team Management: The ability to orchestrate the actions of multiple teammates, delegate responsibilities, and simultaneously manage the completion of a project are vital skills for securing any cybersecurity leadership position.
• Programming fluency: Deciphering programming code is one of the most important skills for a cybersecurity expert to be able to detect potential threats and devise countermeasures effectively.
• Risk analysis: Career success in cybersecurity does not come without the skills of anticipating potential risks and creating methods of mitigating those risks. This means that foresight and unwavering attention to small details are indispensable skills.
• Be a Managed Security expert: Apart from all the soft skills that we discussed; it is more than necessary to have the right technical skill set as well, and that doesn’t come easily. We recommend Managed Security services more than anything else, since it is one of the most keenly sought after roles in the entire industry.

So, there you have it in terms of the key traits we would be looking for in our next security expert. However, that doesn’t mean that you could simply rest if you possess all of these or are working towards them. Cyber threats are always evolving, and therefore you should always be learning in this field. The only question is, how do you start?