A security consultant is someone who works for different companies evaluating risks, problems and solutions for security problems. The consultant can work as a physical security consultant or as an IT consultant working with computers. Whether you work as an IT or physical security consultant, it's a rewarding role to help people with their security needs and concerns. Security consultants can work for consulting firms or as independent contractors, but all of these professionals need basic education and certification requirements to work in their industries.

WHAT DO SECURITY CONSULTANTS DO?

Security investigations address various physical and cyber security threats. Security threats come in many forms, including hackers, terrorists, and attacks on physical assets. There are specializations for security consultants for building safety, the prevention of natural and man-made disasters or with cyber security issues.

Some of the functions that security consultants can perform for companies or individuals are the installation of physical protections for alarm systems and video surveillance. Physical security risks are problems for many companies, and security consultants can determine physical security risks, such as threats of workplace violence, the stability of a building during tornadoes, earthquakes, fires or other natural disasters, and develop evacuation plans for personnel. during emergencies. Security consultants can also advise on building maintenance issues.

They can advise companies on hiring competent security personnel and help conduct background checks on potential hired employees. Training new or existing employees on company- or individual-specific security issues can be a critical role for security consultants. The non-physical roles of security consultants can be those of cybersecurity consultants who evaluate IT systems, databases and IT infrastructures for weaknesses that hackers can exploit with unauthorized access, data loss or modification . some data. At the state and federal levels, security consultants can advise leaders on what actions to take in times of war, national crisis, or how to fight terrorism.

Read : How to become a cyber secrurity consulatant

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, most safety consultants require at least a college degree to enter the field. As in any profession, job opportunities improve with academic performance. Your college major depends on the type of security consultancy you wish to undertake. A criminal justice degree is helpful, or you can choose to pursue a computer science degree if you intend to be a cybersecurity consultant.

Other college courses you may want to take include intelligence administration, public safety, criminology, and national security. Accounting and finance are useful courses if you have your own security business. Knowledge of a foreign language is useful for those who intend to work at the federal level as a security consultant.

Certification, some specialized, is also useful for security consultants. For example, a physical or IT security consultant could benefit from becoming a certified security consultant (CSC) or certified security professional. Consultants working in the IT industry could benefit from earning a Certified Information Systems Security Professional certification. In addition, there are many other certifications, such as network security certification, that information security consultants can choose to follow to enhance their educational and professional skills. There are certification programs in loss prevention, cybercrime investigation, logistics, security and cyber security.

On-the-job training under the guidance of senior security consultants can be an important part of a security consultant's education, training and career.