What does a security engineer do?

What is a Security Engineer?

A business’s computer network can never be too secure. Security engineering focuses on designing computer systems that can deal with disruptions such as natural disasters or malicious cyber attacks.

Faulty software can leave networks vulnerable to malware, spyware, adware, phishing and more. A security engineer is someone who analyzes computer networks, ensures they are running securely, and tries to foresee possible security issues that could arise in the future.

What does a Security Engineer do?

Security engineers are responsible for testing and screening security software and for monitoring networks and systems for security breaches or intrusions. They can often resolve possible causes of security threats early on by looking at things from a security perspective and recommending enhancements to management.

As the company’s first line of defence against unauthorized access from outside sources and potential security threats, security engineers have a very important job to do. Not only do they know how to pinpoint any potential threats, they also know how to plan and prepare before any security threats take place. They act as an all-in-one security team by implementing and testing strategies, reporting on any incidents for future preparation, keeping track of the status of network security, and educating other employees to raise security awareness.

Some of the duties and responsibilities security engineers have:

• developing a set of security standards and practices
• creating new ways to solve existing production security issues
• recommending security enhancements to management
• installing and using software, such as firewalls and data encryption programs
• assisting with installation or processing of new security products and procedures
• conducting scans of networks to find vulnerabilities
• conducting penetration testing
• monitoring networks and systems for security breaches or intrusions
• installing software that helps with notification of intrusions
• developing automation scripts to handle and track incidents
• testing security solutions using industry standard analysis criteria
• watching out for irregular system behaviour
• supervising changes in software, hardware, and user needs
• leading incident response activities
• leading investigations into how breaches happen
• reporting findings to management
• helping plan an organization’s information security strategy
• educating staff members on information security through training and awareness
• recommending modifications in legal, technical and regulatory areas

What is the workplace of a Security Engineer like?

Security engineers are able to work for a variety of companies and organizations. They are responsible for the implementation and administration of network security hardware and software, enforcing the security policy and complying with requirements of security audits and recommendations. Security engineers usually work as part of a larger technology team and report directly to upper management. In a large organization, they typically report to a security manager.