'Security professionals are increasingly in demand'

In the backdrop of increasing vulnerabilities and threats, there is a growing demand for trained network security professionals.
Ajay Sharma, president, New Horizons India Ltd, an IT education company that offers training in network security, spoke to VOICE&DATA on this new trend.

Network security has become an important concern for businesses today. However, most corporates have to do without well-trained security professionals because of a severe shortage of professionals. What is the kind of gap between the demand and supply here? 

Security professionals are increasingly in demand because organizations are increasingly looking for professionals to make their systems and networks more secure. Robust security, redefined authentication, access and authorization, are the main concerns for any CTO today. Businesses have realized the importance of a security manager. 

Ajay Sharma

president,  New Horizons India Ltd

The high growth in demand for security skills has not been matched by a corresponding increase in availability of trained security professionals. The chasm between demand and supply is so wide that, in the last one year, 70 percent of the IT recruitment classifieds have been for security managers. The shortage is not unique to India alone. In the US, the shortfall is expected to be about 25,000-50,000 IS professionals over the next few years. It is estimated that in India, less than 2,500 professionals have specific IS skills, which represents a miniscule 0.5 percent of the IT workforce. Less than 10,000 professionals have a working knowledge of security. According to IDC, the worldwide demand for IS services was approximately $8 billion in 2001, estimated to grow to $23.6 billion by 2006. Correspondingly, there has been a growing demand for security professionals. 

Nasscom’s research pegs the current demand for security professionals at over 18,000 in India and over 60,000 worldwide.

This is estimated to grow to over 77,000 in India and 188,000 worldwide, by 2008. At this rate, by 2008, IDC expects a shortfall of over 100,000 security professionals globally. Thus, security demand, which today accounts for about 3 percent of overall IT workforce demand, is expected to rise to around 5-6 percent by 2008. 

What kind of basic background should a security professional have? 

On a generic basic, he should have good programming and analytical skills, reasonable knowledge of databases, networking and OSs and understanding of other non-IT things like access controls, physical controls etc. He should also have a clear understanding of the operating systems, IP, routers and switches and other networking elements.

What are the entry-level jobs available for a security professional?

Hot opportunities exist in enterprise security, data centers, telecom and financial segments and so on. Besides this, there are immense opportunities in business verticals like the energy segment, hospitals, call centers, power, manufacturing and the government sector. Job portfolios can vary from security consulting to analysis to implementation or even application integration. The level that one can enter is a network security administrator or a security implementers or consultant. The next level would be of a security manager and the highest is a chief security officer
(CSO).

What kind of salaries an average security professional would get to start with?

In line with the increasing demand for security professionals, the salaries are higher than other certified professionals. The starting salary in this sector varies between Rs 3-4 lakh per annum for a technical analyst. It can go up to Rs 24 lakh per annum for a chief security manager. 

Are security certifications important for a professional? 

Security certifications lately have become one of the most popular skills not just in India but globally as well. However, they are an additional qualification. Just showing a security certificate by itself is not enough. One must also have sufficient work experience. Engineering or MCA qualifications are also preferable along with security certifications. 

Ravi Shekhar Pandey