Respond to Peer: IT Security Administrator

Discussion

1. IT Security Administrator for Louisiana Childrens Medical Co.This job requires a minimum of a high school diploma preferring an advanced degree and 1-2 infosec certifications in a related security discipline (Louisiana Childrens Medical Co, n.d.). No salary figure is provided but based on the job description asking for generic team, communication, and problem-solving abilities it appears to be an entry-level position. Following the completion of the Fall 2018 semester I will finish my degree and have two infosec certifications, making me a competitive candidate for this position. If I were to apply for this position, I would research average salaries in the area and ensure to have an understanding of my worth based on current qualifications in that area.
2. Security Administrator for PingWind Inc.This position is more specific, desiring qualifications like a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Technology with entry-level firewall, IDS/IPS, virus protection, security protocols, and virtualization technologies (PingWind Inc, n.d.). This position also requires 5 years of security administration experience, which would be the only qualification gap to bridge between my education, certification, and military experience. While I don’t work directly with Security Administration, I could also leverage the military IT skills I have learned along with my CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst + and Security + Certifications and my Bachelor’s degree to get my foot in the door. Similar to my first job posting, no salary is explicitly stated.
3. Security Administrator for Allied Solutions.This entry-level Security Administration position requires a Bachelor’s degree and entry-level knowledge of firewalls, IDS/IPS, virus protection, protocols, VMWare, and best practices relating to information security (Allied Solutions, n.d.). There is no salary stated here, but this job is located in Carmel, IN so I would conduct area analysis to determine average and competitive salaries in that area prior to applying for the position. With both my certifications and Bachelor’s degree I believe I could be an ideal candidate for the position.
4. Network and IT Security Administrator for Indiana University. This position requires an IT-related Bachelor’s degree and at least two years of experience in system analysis, networking technology support and maintenance (Indiana University, n.d.). While two years of experience is a requirement, it prefers five years with certifications being a suitable substitute for job experience. The salary range is Salary Plan PAE Salary Grade 2IT FLSA, which according to the Indiana University 2018-2019 Professional Staff Pay Structure can range from $36,400.00 – 67,121.60 (n.d.). Between both the degree, almost a decade of military experience, and two IT certifications I believe I could apply and be competitive in this position.
5. IT Security Administrator for Uvalde Memorial Hospital.This position desires at least an Associates Degree in IT, preferring a Bachelor’s Degree and four years of experience with one year focused in security and network administration (Uvalde Memorial Hospital, n.d.). Qualifications are focused largely on Cisco and networking skills rather than security. Similar to many job postings, no salary is directly posted. Similar to the other job postings I’ve researched on Indeed, I believe that with a Bachelor’s degree and multiple IT certifications with my military IT experience I could apply for this job and meet the baseline qualifications for the position.

References

Allied Solutions. (n.d.). Security Administrator I. Retrieved from https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=IT%20Security%20Administrator&start=10&vjk=ed4bff3efff5180e

Indiana Universty. (n.d.). 2018-2019 Professional Staff Pay Structure. Retrieved from http://www.indiana.edu/~uhrs/salary/pa-ranges-201819.html

Indiana University. (n.d.). Network and IT Security Administrator. Retrieved from https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=IT%20Security%20Administrator&start=10&vjk=f2618e981d2b7da3

Louisiana Childrens Medical Co. (n.d.). IT Security Administrator I. Retrieved from https://www.indeed.com/q-IT-Security-Administrator-jobs.html?vjk=ec197254af12d98b

PingWind Inc. (n.d.). Security Administrator. Retrieved from https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=IT%20Security%20Administrator&vjk=d2a774c046edafe5

Uvalde Memorial Hospital. (n.d.). IT Security Administrator. Retrieved from https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=IT%20Security%20Administrator&start=10&vjk=467aca10b1ff6ead

Response

IT security administration is a challenging job. I agree with you that it requires a certificate from high school and adequate experience.  Based on the different positions in the company, salary and perks can be provided. The most important thing is to understand the job description to fulfill the responsibilities of this job position in an organization.  Working in an organization such as PingWind Inc needs to have a command on different information technology needs. When working in a larger organization, it seems mandatory to gain experience regarding the specific line of work.  For Instance, in allied solutions, it is important to have experience of the information security process in an organization (Adnan, Just, Baillie, & Kayacik, 2015).

Protecting the organization from the virus or other cyber security threats is a key role or responsibility of the security administrator.  It is good to examine the salary and other benefits before accepting the job proposal. Working for a large organization such as Uvalde Memorial Hospital can be a wonderful experience.  With adequate skills, experience and qualifications, the IT professional can demand a salary. Just getting the degree from the college is not enough.  I also agree with you that the student must prepare himself by increasing his learning process and experience. Several options such as IT certificates and short diplomas are good options to become a suitable candidate for the job of IT security administrator.  The job of the information technology administration is not easy (Sommestad & Hunstad, 2013). However, I appreciate your concerns regarding the learning experience and pre-job initiatives. Working in an organization as an expert can make the job process interesting and enjoyable. I am glad to see or evaluate your different concerns about this particular job. Success is triggered by focus and commitment, and you seem up to it.

References

Adnan, M., Just, M., Baillie, L., & Kayacik, H. G. (2015). Investigating the work practices of network security professionals. Information and Computer Security, 23 (3), 347-367.

Sommestad, T., & Hunstad, A. (2013). Intrusion detection and the role of the system administrator. Information Management & Computer Security, 21 (1), 30-40.