Analytical and technology savvy

- [Narrator] If you aspire to be an IT security professional, then there are two traits which will contribute to your likelihood to be successful in this field: being analytical and technology savvy. If you read through IT security job postings, you'll frequently see these words and phrases describing actions performed on the job: These are just some of the terms you'll run into.

These terms are used to describe analytical skills which are frequently desired by employers hiring security professionals. Being analytical is a desired trait for IT security professionals because working with large amounts of data and extracting meaningful information can be a big part of the job. An example might be sifting through security event logs or network traffic dumps to gather information about a potential security incident. Or if you're a manager or director, you might need to crunch other types of data like asset inventories or annual budgets.

How can you tell if you're analytical? You might be analytical if you like mathematics, crunching numbers in spreadsheets, writing scripts with Python, Windows PowerShell, or other scripting languages, digging into the details of practically anything and solving problems. You may be analytical and not even realize it. For instance, you may need to take courses in analytical tool sets like Excel or scripting languages to help you enhance these skills for your job. If you find that you enjoy them, you may be analytical after all.

And when it comes to being tech savvy, IT security professionals are expected to have a strong proficiency with technology, especially computers and networks. This is not a career field for anyone intimidated by technology. You'll need to know your way around computer hardware, operating systems and networks. This is one reason why introductory certifications like CompTIAs, A+, Network+ and Security+ are so popular among employers. They demonstrate competency in computers, networks, and security fundamentals.

You're probably tech savvy if you follow news about cutting-edge hardware and operating systems, like to tinker with hardware and operating system to optimize their processing and security and research upcoming technology improvements and look forward to their arrival. Being tech savvy is a trait that aligns well with a career in IT security. A successful career in IT security requires many skills but having a strong hold on analytics and tech can give you a true competitive edge.