A computer security researcher is an essential specialist for today’s network business. In a situation where all companies, even the smallest, use computer equipment and the Internet, the IT security specialist Jacob Riggs has a lot to offer. He or she will be qualified in information security and will tend to specialize in one or two subfields.
There are two general types of situations in which a company may need a computer security investigator.
First, the IT security expert can be asked to investigate the security status of the company’s information and make recommendations for improvement. This task is not necessarily linked to any particular security incident, and may simply be part of the relevant compliance requirements. This type of expert will know the official information security standards and corporate governance regulations, and will also have experience in carrying out audits of computer and information systems.
Second, the IT security investigator can be called after an organization has suffered an information security incident. In this case, after investigating the incident, the IT security specialist can be called in to advise on how to improve overall information security to prevent further incidents of this type. This type of expert will know the relevant legislation and recent legal cases, and will also be able to advise on the forensic aspects of the situation.
The two situations require quite different skill sets for the security expert. The first case requires a qualified specialist in the areas of information security auditing and corporate governance, and possibly also a background in the actual management of computer security. The second case requires an expert who is qualified in the areas of computer-related legislation and possibly digital forensics, with experience in managing computer crime-related incidents. It would be a mistake for a hiring manager to try to get one type of specialist to do the other guy’s job, since the two subfields can be very technical and require very different qualifications.
A computer security researcher will likely be hired as a consultant for a relatively short time and for a well-defined project. This is because few companies are large enough to support a permanent staff of IT security specialists. This makes it even more important for a company to take the time to choose the right person as its information security researcher, as the success of the entire project will depend on this decision. But if the right decision is made, many companies will find that their IT security researcher provides them with an essential service that simply cannot be done without.
