Top IT Industry Knowledge and New Opportunities
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Top IT Industry Knowledge and New Opportunities

Top IT Industry Knowledge and New Opportunities

January 4th, 2022 | Opportunity

We often think of technology as computers, tablets, smartphones, and other devices we depend on for daily activities. In a business context, technology goes beyond hardware and these days, we are using technology more than ever to ensure continuity and safety. Not surprisingly, increasing demand for technology translates to increasing demand for IT professionals: What kind of knowledge and skills are required to meet this demand? Here’s what you need to know about the IT industry if you are considering a change of career.

1. Anti-Fraud Analyst

These positions are in high demand for the banking sector and FinTech companies who are responsible for the security of online financial transactions for both individuals and firms. These analysts help limit the opportunities and likelihood for fraud to occur by setting and tracking limits on numbers of purchases per bank card, the maximum amount of one-time purchases per card by a single user, the number of bank cards used by a single user in a certain period of time, and analyzing purchase histories to identify suspicious transactions.

2. Reverse Engineering Specialist or Code Analyst

These specialists analyze program code in order to identify a given program’s vulnerabilities to cyberattacks. To be successful, they must thoroughly understand the general principles of programming, programming languages such as C++, ASM, Python, etc. and be familiar with the differing types of vulnerabilities presented by OWASP Top 10, SANS Top-25. After analyzing codes and identifying threats, specialists give recommendations on how best to protect a given system.

3. Information Security Developer

This specialty combines the knowledge and skills of a developer with information security tools. Programming skills, knowledge of CI/CD languages, AWS or MS Azure cloud, frameworks, antivirus software, and DLP systems are all important. With these knowledge bases, they develop internal systems for protecting information and tracking cyberthreats to business.

4. Specialist in Forensic Science or Cybercrime Investigator

Most often, these are contracted specialists who investigate computer or financial crimes such as hacked servers, desktops, and DBMS. They search for traces of hacking, reproduce cyberattack scenarios (a temporary chain of events) and record violations in order to collect evidence and expose criminal hacker groups. They have broad skillsets and understand both programming languages, as well as security tools and how hackers attempt to bypass them.

5. Pen-tester (Penetration Tester)

These specialists (essentially hackers) test and check systems to see how well their data is protected by attempting to break protections already in use. Through the identification of system vulnerabilities or weak points, they strengthen data protection and help to evaluate the integrity of the information system as a whole. Pen-testers require extensive knowledge of Windows/Linux, networks, and vulnerabilities and a creative mindset.

IT Industry Opportunities

Covid-19 has forced companies around the world to rethink the way they conduct their business and pivot towards an increasing digitalization of their goods and service offerings as both staff and customers shift to the new remote working paradigm. The rapid onset of the pandemic forced firms to put sudden holds on works in progress in favour of quickly adapting to this remote-working environment. Naturally, there has been a huge uptick in the demand for positions in the field of IT and development and with it, significant inflation in salary demands.

 

According to http://digitalguardian.com, the ever-growing need for qualified, experienced cybersecurity professionals means that the field offers tremendous growth opportunities for these professionals with better job security, salaries, and promotion. According to an analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics conducted by Peninsula Press, cybersecurity job postings increased by 74% in 2020. Looking into recent data on growth in this field of expertise shows that in 2020, compared to 2019, the salaries of specialists who help companies ensure security, manage processes, and analyze data have generally increased. Positions requiring qualified cybersecurity analysts saw an average 16.3% growth in their earning potential for the year. For senior security engineers and architects, the growth was less but remains significant at 4.3% (2020).

In summary, companies need cybersecurity specialists now more than ever as remote work practices have made internal systems more vulnerable and increased the potential rewards to criminals executing a successful cyberbreach. The pandemic presents new opportunities for attacks on networks, hardware, teams and especially on employees using their personal devices, which are by nature less secure than the tools they would otherwise use in a conventional office setting where there are enterprise security protocols. At the same time, a shortage of resources in the IT industry has forced firms to raise their pay rates for specialists. For IT professionals, these changes represent significant growth opportunities. In you need more information on work opportunities in IT, feel free reach out to us at. Who knows, we may have your next challenge already waiting for you!

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