7 Types of Experiences Every Security Pro Should Have

Whether it's a military network, an e-commerce site, or a nonprofit group, organizations are constantly under attack — and they're looking to their security teams to protect them.

So what types of skills and experiences do security pros need to develop to succeed? Being good at technology is a given — that's why they went into the field in the first place. In talking to seven security pros, what came up time and again was that they need to be good listeners and develop communication and business skills.  

It's time for security pros to ask themselves what's really important to them and their organizations, says Paul Kurtz, co-founder and CEO of TruStar.

"It's not always about adding new tools," he says. "In fact, we went through a period after the Target and Anthem hacks and all the other major hacks where security pros were just overlaying tools on top of one another. A lot of those tools became shelfware."

Of course, that doesn't mean security pros should stop learning and build new skills. Yet another way to learn is through experiencing different situations on the job. Following are seven types of experiences that will make you a better and more well-rounded security pro, whether you're a one-person operation or work in a large SOC.

[Hear Paul Kurtz, co-founder and CEO of TruStar, present Cybersecurity Crash Course, Day 2 at Interop 2019 next month]