Skills and Traits of a Successful Cybersecurity Manager
| 3 Min Read
Achieving success in a technology management role requires more than just a fascination with the latest technology, which is why a Master of Science in Cybersecurity Operations Management includes a combination of business courses and foundational technology courses.
Students round out their business and management skills so they can become effective leaders with the right mix of knowledge and expertise to attain their goals in managing cybersecurity teams.
Effective Management Skills
As an IT manager, you will need to be able to manage people, as well as processes, projects and tasks. Your education should cover ethics, systems requirements, financial analyses, project management, business intelligence, data analysis, information security, and subjects in global cybersecurity. Strong project management skills and cybersecurity know-how are two of the most important areas where technology managers will focus.
Broad Business Knowledge
Management jobs in cybersecurity are about more than technology. At a company, the information technology department typically supports all other departments, including finance/accounting, marketing, operations, human resources, and sales. Some cybersecurity managers immerse themselves in these areas by shadowing other managers during their day-to-day tasks.
In a leadership role, you will often be called upon to recommend future technology directions and policies. You must be a strategic thinker who understands what it takes to achieve the company’s objectives. Frequently, you will be asked to make difficult decisions on resource allocation or company priorities, so you should be comfortable making tough decisions quickly.
Strong Leadership Capabilities
An effective cybersecurity manager must have the ability to influence people and to focus them on specific objectives as part of a project team. They must be able to take complicated technology topics and explain them to people involved in the project from other departments.
To be effective, the cybersecurity leader must have strong relationship-building skills. The perception of any individual as a strong leader rests on skills such as knowledge, empathy, and of course, ethics.
Extensive Technology Knowledge
Technology changes so quickly that you must allocate some of your time to keep up with the latest advances. As a cybersecurity manager, you will not need to be an expert in every aspect of every technology that your company uses. You will hire talented staff for those jobs. However, you will need to understand enough about each area to be able to align your team with the company’s strategy and goals.
You must also be mindful of emerging industry issues, such as phishing and ransomware, so that you can design and monitor the security of your company’s network and business systems.
Business intelligence (BI) is another emerging area of critical importance. In many industries, BI has moved well beyond old-style data warehousing tools to encompass Big Data analytics and in-memory computing, allowing companies to gain insight nearly instantaneously from multiple sources of data. You need to have the technical vision and background in data fusion and analysis to help lead your company in the adoption of such emerging tools.
Cybersecurity managers are in high demand, which is reflected in the high salaries that qualified people can command. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median annual information systems salary is $142,530.
With the right mix of skills, professional experience, and a graduate degree from a well-regarded program, you will be well on your way to a management career within cybersecurity.
Utica University can help. We offer one of the country’s top online cybersecurity operations programs with an M.S. in Cybersecurity Operations Management. The specialized program provides professionals with an advanced understanding of the history and evolution of cybersecurity and its impact on today’s business landscape.
Want to know more? Request more information or simply call us at 315.732.2640 or toll-free at 866.295.3106 to learn more.