Before you venture into any deal its’s always best to find out what it entails first. Especially when you looking for a cybersecurity career in Ghana. Cyber security is simply the practice of defending information exchanged on servers, computers, electronic systems, mobile devices, networks, and data from malicious attacks.
The term applies in a huge number of contexts ranging from mobile computing to business. It can further be divided into a few common categories. It can be termed electronic information security or information technology security.
Want To Become a Cyber Security Personnel?
If you are ready to get started in the exciting and exploring world of cyber security, then FussGhana is here to guide you. The next step is to find the best cybersecurity courses that duly match your career goals, aims, and goals. There are many cyber security training courses to choose from, however, some of the top cyber security courses offered include:
When you become a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), you learn to think just like one of those cyber criminals, which is as essential as putting a stop to cyber attacks. Prospective students can enroll in Simplilearn’s CEH v10 Certification Course, here they can learn the skills that are required to become certified, like reverse engineering and virus code writing. By enrolling in a cyber security course that teaches the same techniques that cyber criminal masterminds utilize as their modus operandi, you will be many steps closer to becoming a Certified Ethical Hacker.
For CEH certification and training, there is really no specific eligibility criteria, however, it is recommended that you should have a basic knowledge of TCP/IP.
Ethical Hacker (EH) Certification
Once you become certified, you may qualify for a series of exciting roles, for instance, security manager, intrusion analyst, CND auditor, and a lot more. In general, the annual salary for someone with this kind of certification usually ranges from $24,760 to $111,502 USD, according to Infosec Institute. While that is a very wide range, it is crucial to keep in mind that after you have some experience, it is very unlikely that your salary will be on the lower end of the spectrum.
A CompTIA Security+ course will typically enlighten and teach students the skills they need for configuring and installing systems to secure applications, networks, and devices. Students also learn to perform a good number of threat analyses cum respond with appropriate mitigation techniques. And may also have the opportunity to participate in some risk mitigation activities while operating with an awareness of applicable laws, policies, and regulations.
Once you receive your CompTIA Security+ certification, you will also have a good number of career options, like security manager, security specialist, and administrator. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, individuals in these roles usually earn not less than $86,000 USD each year on average.
Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP)
Having intentions of breaking into the field of network security? The Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP) is yet another education program you should consider. In fact, a lot of IT departments classify this type of certification as a minimum requirement.
Simplilearn’s CISSP Certification Training aligns to the (ISC) CBK 2018 requirements. This cyber security course trains individuals in the industry’s best practices. Which can also increase your chances of passing the exam on your very first attempt. The certification helps you develop the needed level of expertise in defining the architecture cum in the build, design, and maintenance of a secured business environment for your organization. All these via the use of globally approved information security standards.
If you are looking forward to working as an IT security manager, system engineer, or analyst, this certification can help give you an edge over the competition. If you are already working in the cyber security industry, this certification can help you grow in your career. Which can also imply a better role with a higher salary. In fact, if your ultimate goal is to work in the role of a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), this certification is a must.
This certification is not for beginner. As it requires not less than five years of professional full-time work experience in about two or more of the eight domains of the CISSP – CBK 2018. Anyone lacking this experience will rather receive an ISC2 associate title, and replace with the CISSP certificate once you have enough experience.
On average, the annual salary for a CISSP professional usually ranges from $73,627 to $119,184 USD, according to Infosec Institute.
Why Should You Choose Cyber Security as a Career?
Cyber security jobs are very much in high demand with the evolution of technology. This does not seem to be changing anytime soon. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports just how fast the information security field, in general, has grown. Which is projected to be at a 37 percent growth rate from the years 2012 to 2022. Being way higher growth rate, unlike other industries.
Industry watchdog CyberSeek also went ahead and brought an estimate in 2018. That there were more than 300,000 available cyber security jobs across the United States. In addition to that, the research from Markets and Markets revealed that by the year 2023, the cyber security market is expected to be worth not less than $248.26 billion.
All these numbers have proved that when it comes to job security, you cannot really go wrong. If you have successfully completed your cyber security training certification. If salary is also a huge motivator for you, consider the fact that depending on the specific training. Cyber security professionals can always make as much as $243,610 annually.
The Global Importance Cybersecurity Career in Ghana
In today’s interconnected world, virtually everyone benefits from diverse advanced cyber defense programs. At an individual level, a cybersecurity related attack can result in everything ranging from extortion attempts, to identity theft, to the loss of important data like family photos and more. A lot of people rely on critical infrastructure like hospitals, power plants, and financial service companies. Securing these and many other organizations is a key to keeping our society running and functioning.
Also, everyone benefits from the work of cyber threat researchers, like that of the team of 250 threat researchers at Talos. They investigated new and emerging cyber attacks and threats strategies. They revealed new vulnerabilities, educate the public on the significant importance of cybersecurity, and also strengthen open source tools. Their work makes the internet a safe haven for everyone.
A cybersecurity career in Ghana is also an integral part of our society because the military, government, financial, corporate, and medical organizations collect, process, and store huge amounts of data on computers and many other devices. A good portion of that data is regarded as sensitive information. Whether that be financial data, intellectual property, personal information, or other types of data for which unauthorized exposure or access could have negative consequences.
Many organizations transmit sensitive data across several networks as well as to other devices in the course of doing business. So cyber security duly explains the discipline dedicated to protecting all that information. Cum the systems used to store or process it. As the sophistication and volume of cyber attacks grow, organizations and companies, especially those that are tasked with safeguarding the information that relates to health, national security, or financial records, need to take notable steps to protect their sensitive personnel and business information. In the early moments of March 2013, some top intelligence officials cautioned that digital spying and cyber attacks are the top threat to national security thereby eclipsing even terrorism.
Skill Necessary for Cyber Security Personnel
- Creative thinking
- Critical analysis
- Problem-solving skills
- Good communication skills
- Computer literacy
- Good programming and coding skills
- Patience
- Multitasking skills
Elements of Cybersecurity Career
To ensure cybersecurity, you need the coordination of security efforts, made throughout an information system, including:
- Application security
- Information security
- Network security
- Disaster recovery/business continuity planning
- Operational security
- End-user education
The voluntary cybersecurity framework can be adopted in all sectors as well. Not leaving out state and federal governments. President Donald Trump also issued an executive order. Which mandates that federal agencies adopt the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF) in May 2017.
As a result of security risks, all investments in cybersecurity technologies and services are also increasing. In the past, Gartner also predicted that worldwide spending on information security products and services would grow to $114 billion in 2018. And another 8.7% increase to $124 billion in 2019. Later, in 2019. Gartner had predicted spending in enterprise risk and security management to grow 11% in 2021 regarding the Middle East and North Africa.
Job Opportunities Cybersecurity Career in Ghana
While the increased rate of cyber attacks is really not good news for any of us, there is a silver lining. This seems to be the best time to consider a career path in cyber security.
A cybersecurity career in Ghana like Information security analysts and Cyber security professionals possess a wide range of responsibilities. However, the focus of their job is to protect online data from being corrupted and compromised. As more of our personal information is saved online, the more important it becomes to step up this form of security.
- Security Specialist -An entry-level role with huge potentials
- Incident Responder -protect and prevent against threats
- Security Administrator -Keep security systems running smoothly each day
- Vulnerability Assessor -Spot system vulnerabilities and make solutions
- Cryptographer -Write the code that hackers cannot crack
- Security Manager -Keeping systems secure with significant help from an expert team
- Security Architect -Outsmart online criminals by designing tough-to-crack security systems
- Chief Information Security Officer -Expertise in computer security and business acumen will take you far as a CISO
- Security Analyst -Plan and execute lots of flawless security measures
- A Security Auditor -Find the weak spots in a security system before intruders do
- Security Director -Make the rules and solve complex problems
- Forensic Expert -Protect the cyber world and give help to law enforcement agents
- Penetration Tester -protect and hack computer systems for good
- Security Consultant -Implement and advise security solutions
- Security Engineer -Build IT security systems for your organization
- Source Code Auditor -Ensure code safety and accuracy prior to release.