IT security coordinators put security measures in place to protect their clients' data.
What does an IT security coordinator do?
IT security coordinators plan and put in place security measures to protect clients' information and data from unauthorised access, deliberate attack, theft and corruption.
Security coordinators deal with a range of threats to electronic information, including:
- illegal hacking
- viruses, worms, spyware and Trojans
- denial of service attacks – overloading systems with useless data
- 'phishing' – luring users into leaving confidential details on spoof websites
- 'pharming' – redirecting users to fake websites by hijacking genuine website addresses
- abuse of permissions by authorised system users
Work would involve:
- assessing risks to systems, and developing plans to minimise potential threats
- designing new security systems, or upgrading existing ones
- testing and evaluating security products
- planning for disaster recovery in the event of security breaches
- simulating security breaches, known as penetration testing
- using ethical hacking methods to find security flaws
- investigating breaches and carrying out corrective action
- making sure procedures meet network security standards
- preparing reports and technical documentation for managers and users
What do I need to do to become an IT security coordinator?
You can get into IT security by completing qualifications at university, or by gaining skills on the job. If you take the university route, you'll need to complete a degree or postgraduate award in a subject such as:
- network security
- computer science (with security options)
- forensic computing
- business information systems
Desirable qualifications
- A relevant degree