Cybersecurity Analyst: What is the cost of hiring?

Why hire a cybersecurity analyst

Cybersecurity analysts are in charge of analyzing, adjusting, and maintaining a company’s cybersecurity systems. As more businesses digitize their operations, proper cybersecurity has become paramount to protect company assets and information. A good cybersecurity analyst will proactively implement measures to protect your business from malicious online threats, saving your company ample time and money.

Contributions of a great cybersecurity analyst:

• technical acumen
• proactivity
• problem solving

Deciding between a full-time vs. freelance cybersecurity analyst

Cybersecurity analysts are usually employed full-time with their respective companies, but they sometimes also find work on a freelance basis. The conditions under which you choose to hire them will depend on the nature and complexity of your business. If you operate in a field with highly sensitive security needs or frequent access to confidential and/or proprietary information, you are probably better suited to hire a full-time cybersecurity analyst, given the need to safeguard this information and prevent its dissemination to too many people. You may also hire a full-time cybersecurity analyst if your systems are unique or complex, and require extensive onboarding or training. If you do not meet these conditions, you can hire a freelance cybersecurity analyst on a per-project or other short-term basis.

What are the different types of cybersecurity analysts?

Cybersecurity analysts are less limited by their skill sets than they are by the industries they work in. A competent enough cybersecurity analyst will have no issues finding work in any industry.

Some cybersecurity analysts specialize in specific industries, depending on the level of security required. For example, a cybersecurity analyst who works for law enforcement or the military has a different focus and understanding of certain software and its applications than a cybersecurity analyst who works for a school board or engineering firm. They work the same job as the other, with the same responsibilities, but the only differences lie in how they apply their knowledge. This is because each industry faces unique challenges and threats from different sources, and every company and industry has its unique tech stacks.

• Chief information officer: The chief information officer is the executive lead in charge of a company’s IT department.
• Digital forensic administrator: Digital forensic administrators extract data from computer systems to recover it for examination and/or preserve and present it for evidence.
• Data technician: Data technicians collect and present data for other roles in the organization to take action on.
• Systems analyst: Systems analysts observe and report on a company’s digital systems to improve productivity and usability, much like cybersecurity analysts but without a focus on system security.

Where to find cybersecurity analysts

To find the right cybersecurity analyst for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Recruit straight out of high school. In the case of particularly prodigious cybersecurity analysts, they might be recruited and trained out of high school. That’s because cybersecurity analyst is one of the few jobs where a postsecondary education is often appreciated by employers, but not explicitly required if the candidate is talented enough.
• Recruit straight out of university. Many of the country’s biggest and best employers tend to recruit promising cybersecurity analysts right out of university.
• Attend a hackathon. You are likely to meet among the most promising talent in the industry at hackathons, but these events are usually only held in a handful of cities across the country.
• Poach them from your competition. If you feel you can offer candidates better wages and benefits than your competition, feel free to reach out to them directly and attempt to entice them to leave their company to join yours.

Post your job online: Try posting your cybersecurity analyst job on Indeed to find and attract quality cybersecurity analyst candidates.

Skills to look for in a great cybersecurity analyst

A great cybersecurity analyst candidate will have the following skills and attributes as well as work experience that reflects:

• broad knowledge of software, hardware, and applications
• network administration
• problem solving
• data and information handling
• organization

Writing a cybersecurity analyst job description

A thoughtful description is important for finding qualified cybersecurity analyst candidates. A cybersecurity analyst job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities, and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your cybersecurity analyst job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on cybersecurity analyst jobs, according to Indeed data:

• cyber security
• cyber security analyst
• security analyst
• soc analyst
• IT
• cybersecurity
• cybersecurity analyst
• analyst
• information technology
• data analyst

Interviewing cybersecurity analyst candidates

Strong candidates for cybersecurity analyst positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• experience solving complex problems
• knowledge and application of various software platforms
• understanding of current and future cybersecurity trends
• overcoming technical challenges
• aspirations and goals in the industry

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of cybersecurity analyst interview questions for examples (with sample answers).