6 Steps on How to Become a Cybersecurity Analyst

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If you have an interest in protecting an organisation’s computer systems, networks, and data from security breaches and cyber threats. Continue reading this blog. We will be going over 6 steps on how to become a cybersecurity analyst.

Before we get into the steps, let’s go over what a cybersecurity analyst does. Their primary role is to monitor, analyse and respond to security incidents. Specific tasks that cybersecurity analysts perform include:

• Detect, identify and alert possible attacks or misuse activities
• Document, report and escalate incidents
• Analyse malicious activity
• Explore and implement methods to avoid future risks or activities
• Perform cyber defense trend analysis and reports

 

Step 1: Develop Cybersecurity Skills

 
The first thing with any role, you need to understand the difference between soft and hard skills. Soft and hard skills will help you transfer your skills to different fields.

Soft skills:

• Customer Success
• Problem solving
• Troubleshooting
• Public speaking
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Adaptability
• Analytical thinking
• Curiosity
• Ethics

Hard skills:

• ​​Risk management
• Incident response
• Threat intelligence
• Programming (C, C++, PHP, Perl, Java, Python)
• Operating systems (PC, iOS, Linux)
• Network and systems security
• Information assurance
• NIST Cybersecurity Framework
• Enterprise security architecture
• Data storage and management

The best way to develop hard skills is to take only certifications. Here is a list of online courses you can do:

 

Step 2: Cybersecurity Certified

 
Once you have built your foundational knowledge of cyber security, including your above hard and soft skills, the next step you need to take is becoming cybersecurity certified. Getting certified will help you secure your dream cybersecurity role and will allow your employer to know that you can do the job.

If you want to go that extra mile and prove your skills, here are the following courses you can take:

 

Step 3: Gain IT Experience

 
Experience is what is going to help you develop your career over the years. When you’re first starting out, the best thing you can do for yourself is build a portfolio with you showing different projects showcasing your hard and soft skills. Trying to land your first job with no real experience is difficult, but you can prove yourself with a good portfolio.

Once you land your first job, you want to take every opportunity possible that can help you upskill, develop your current skills or learn something new.

 

Step 4: Networking

 
As you are developing your career, another thing you can do for your career is build a great networking system. You can use platforms such as LinkedIn, Reddit sub-groups or also cybersecurity communities.

You can attend cybersecurity events, where you may meet your next employer or meet a group of people who come from the same workplace as you.

 

Step 5: Expand Your Knowledge

 
As you develop your career, you may start as a junior cybersecurity analyst for the government, but you may later on want to move into the data centre and compute sector. Naturally, you will need to expand your knowledge and learn more about GPUs, storage and networking specifically. Or you may want to work for a finance company and need to understand the concepts of building a secure infrastructure for a financial company.

 

Step 6: Keep Up to Date

 
The technology world is moving fast, therefore you need to keep up to date with the market. Continuously learning is what will keep you competitive and ensure job security. For example, Generative AI is currently dominating the market and security measures will need to be put in place to ensure it can be implemented in real-world cases.

 

Wrapping Up

 
6 simple steps on how to become a data analyst without the complexity. We hope this blog has provided you with the information and resources you need to become a cybersecurity analyst. If you have any further valuable information, please drop it in the comments.
 
 

Nisha Arya is a data scientist, freelance technical writer, and an editor and community manager for KDnuggets. She is particularly interested in providing data science career advice or tutorials and theory-based knowledge around data science. Nisha covers a wide range of topics and wishes to explore the different ways artificial intelligence can benefit the longevity of human life. A keen learner, Nisha seeks to broaden her tech knowledge and writing skills, while helping guide others.