What Would You Do as an Information Security Analyst?

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No matter how advanced companies and organizations make their cybersecurity measures, hackers seem to figure them out. And there’s so much at stake: confidential files, personal data, and sensitive information. As more operations transition to digital, there’s a great need for IT professionals who can discover and stop cyberattacks before they occur. What would you do as an Information Security Analyst? You would be the first line of defense.

1. Monitor for Security Breaches

Closely watch your organization’s networks for any signs of breaches that may have occurred. If a breach happens, you need to quickly investigate when, how, and why it did. You’ll also need to oversee reports of computer viruses to determine when to update protection systems. This will help you confirm whether any data have been compromised.

2. Keep Private Information Safe

The information you learn from monitoring your organization’s networks and systems, will help inform a strategic plan to safeguard the company from future attacks. To be most effective, this should work both externally and internally. Accidents and errors do happen, so you’ll want to put a plan into place to prevent their destruction or disclosure. This may include the encryption of data transmissions and implementation of firewalls to conceal information as it is being transmitted.

3. Assess Risk and Potential Problems

Risk assessment is very important. Your responsibilities don’t end when you come up with a security plan and put it into action. In fact, your plan should include steps for continual risk assessment. This allows you to see any potential shortcomings in your plan that may not have been obvious before. Test your data processing system to ensure its activities and security measures are risk free.

4. Data Backup and Recovery

Even with protections in place and regular risk assessment, something could still go wrong. Servers might malfunction, a natural disaster might strike, a rogue employee might jeopardize sensitive information. That’s why you need a data recovery and backup plan to prevent any vulnerable information from being lost forever. Consider best practices for the storage, back up, and transfer of data to secure locations.

5. Keep an Eye on Trends

You also need to stay on top of tech trends and digital research. They might inspire you in your own work in information security, and they’ll definitely keep you informed on the latest developments in hardware, software, and standards.

If a career as an Information Security Analyst sounds right for you, you’ll need to start with some basic knowledge of the field and proof that you understand it all. Charter College offers a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree in Computer Information Systems, a two-year program that will prepare you for an entry-level position in the industry. You’ll learn data management, program applications, system design, and information analysis. To learn more, contact Charter College today.