The Cybersecurity Industry Needs Your Business Skills
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TL;DR
You don’t have to be an IT expert to break into cybersecurity. There are plenty of business roles—like finance, HR, legal, project management, and vendor management—that keep cybersecurity companies running smoothly. To stand out in an interview and succeed in these roles, all you need is a basic understanding of cybersecurity concepts like data protection, compliance, and risk management.
The good news? There are affordable (and even free) training options like the ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) certification that can help you get up to speed. With the right training and your business skills, you can make the leap into this exciting industry.
The cybersecurity industry needs your business skills, and it’s not just the tech jobs that pay well—salaries across the industry are generally higher than in many other sectors. Whether you’re in finance, HR, legal, project management, or operations, there’s a place for you in cybersecurity, and you don’t need to be an IT expert to get started. With a basic understanding of cybersecurity concepts like data protection, compliance, and risk management, you can transition into this booming field.
If you’re thinking about moving into a more technical role down the line, starting in a business position at a cybersecurity company is a great way to get your foot in the door. You’ll gain exposure to the industry while continuing to build your technical skills. Before making the jump, it’s important to explore and understand the technical roles available in cybersecurity, so you know where you want to focus. A great resource for this is LinkedIn Learning’s Explore Cybersecurity Careers path.
Many companies offer chances to transition into technical roles as you grow, so this can be a great way to map out your future in the industry.
Key Business Operations Roles in Cybersecurity
1. Accounting and Finance
In cybersecurity companies, finance teams manage budgets, payroll, and financial reporting, but their responsibilities also include maintaining compliance with financial security regulations such as SOC 2 and PCI DSS. These frameworks dictate how financial and other sensitive data should be protected and managed.
To excel in a finance role in cybersecurity, professionals should understand:
SOC 2 Compliance: SOC 2 focuses on ensuring that a company has effective controls in place related to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. Finance professionals need to understand how these controls affect financial operations, such as protecting payroll systems and customer billing information.
PCI DSS Compliance: For companies that handle credit card payments, PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is a must. Finance professionals should know the key requirements of PCI DSS and how the company’s payment systems must be secured against breaches.
Data Encryption and Protection: Understanding how encryption protects sensitive financial data—such as payroll, employee information, and financial reports—is crucial. During interviews, be prepared to discuss how finance systems must align with cybersecurity standards.
To nail the interview: Be ready to talk about how you would ensure that financial systems adhere to SOC 2 or PCI DSS requirements, and how you would collaborate with IT to safeguard sensitive data.
2. Human Resources (HR)
HR professionals in cybersecurity handle recruiting, onboarding, managing employee records, and ensuring compliance with labor laws. But in the cybersecurity industry, HR teams must also ensure that employee data is protected and that they’re onboarding individuals in a secure way. For example, HR must understand how to manage background checks, handle onboarding securely, and ensure employees are educated on cybersecurity best practices.
To excel in an HR role in cybersecurity, professionals should understand:
Data Privacy Laws: HR professionals must be familiar with GDPR, CCPA, and similar regulations that protect employee data. This includes understanding how employee records are stored and how to ensure that sensitive information is only accessible to authorized individuals.
Secure Onboarding and Offboarding: HR plays a major role in the onboarding process, so it’s important to understand how to ensure new employees have secure access to internal systems. Likewise, during offboarding, HR must ensure that access is promptly revoked and any company assets are returned.
Cybersecurity Awareness Training: HR often collaborates with IT to ensure that employees receive cybersecurity training. Understanding the importance of training in topics like phishing and social engineering will help HR teams enforce security policies.
To nail the interview: Be ready to explain how you would protect sensitive employee data, ensure compliance with data privacy regulations, and implement secure onboarding and offboarding processes.
3. Legal and Compliance
Legal and compliance professionals ensure that cybersecurity companies adhere to data protection regulations, handle contracts properly, and respond appropriately to data breaches. This team ensures the organization complies with laws like GDPR and CCPA and follows proper protocols when dealing with customer and employee data.
To excel in a legal or compliance role, professionals should understand:
GDPR and CCPA: These are two of the most critical data privacy laws, and they dictate how organizations should handle and protect personal data. Legal teams need to know the nuances of these laws, particularly regarding breach notifications and how to protect customer data.
Incident Response Protocols: Legal teams should be involved in incident response planning, ensuring that if a breach occurs, the company follows the right legal procedures. This includes knowing when and how to report breaches to customers and regulators.
Contracts and Vendor Management: Legal professionals often manage contracts with third-party vendors, ensuring that these partners comply with cybersecurity standards. Understanding vendor risk management from a legal perspective is crucial.
To nail the interview: Be prepared to discuss how you would handle a data breach from a legal perspective, including breach notification timelines, and how you would ensure that the company complies with GDPR and CCPA.
4. Project Management
Project managers in cybersecurity must coordinate teams, manage timelines, and ensure that security is embedded in every project. This can range from launching new products to improving internal security protocols, and even ensuring compliance with industry standards.
To excel in a project management role, professionals should understand:
Cybersecurity Best Practices: Project managers should be familiar with basic security protocols like ISO 27001, which outlines best practices for information security management. Knowing these frameworks will help project managers ensure that their projects comply with security requirements.
Compliance and Risk Management: Whether it’s implementing a new software system or launching a customer-facing product, project managers must ensure that the project aligns with compliance regulations like SOC 2, GDPR, or PCI DSS.
Data Protection: Projects often involve handling sensitive data, so understanding data protection protocols (e.g., encryption, access controls) is important to manage the risks associated with each project.
To nail the interview: Discuss how you would ensure that security is considered at every stage of a project and how you would manage the team’s compliance with industry standards like ISO 27001.
5. Operations and Vendor Management
Operations and vendor managers in cybersecurity oversee the company’s day-to-day activities and manage relationships with third-party vendors. In a cybersecurity context, this includes ensuring that vendors comply with cybersecurity standards and do not introduce vulnerabilities into the organization’s systems.
To excel in an operations or vendor management role, professionals should understand:
Third-Party Risk Management: Cybersecurity companies rely on external vendors for everything from cloud services to software tools. Vendor managers need to understand the risks that third-party vendors can introduce and ensure that these partners follow security protocols.
Compliance Audits: Vendor managers may be responsible for conducting or coordinating audits to ensure vendors are complying with standards like SOC 2 or ISO 27001.
Access Controls: It’s crucial to ensure that vendors only have access to the data they need to perform their tasks and that access is revoked when no longer needed.
To nail the interview: Be ready to explain how you would evaluate vendors for cybersecurity compliance and how you would manage third-party risk to protect the organization.
6. Training and Development
In a cybersecurity company, the training and development team ensures that employees understand internal tools and security protocols. These professionals also lead cybersecurity awareness training, helping employees avoid falling for phishing schemes or other social engineering attacks.
To excel in a training and development role, professionals should understand:
Cybersecurity Awareness Best Practices: Training teams must know how to educate employees on avoiding common cybersecurity threats, such as phishing and malware. This knowledge helps reduce risks related to human error.
Security Policies: Trainers should be familiar with the organization’s internal security policies and ensure that employees are trained on how to comply with these policies.
Incident Response: Employees should be trained on how to respond to potential security incidents. Trainers need to ensure that employees know how to report suspicious activity and escalate incidents when necessary.
To nail the interview: Be ready to discuss how you would implement a cybersecurity awareness training program and how you would measure its effectiveness.
7. Recruiters (In-House and Recruiting Firms)
Recruiters, whether they’re working in-house at a cybersecurity company or for a recruiting firm, play a critical role in filling the talent gap in this fast-growing industry. Cybersecurity is a unique field, and it requires recruiters to have a solid understanding of both the technical roles and the business roles that are in high demand. Additionally, recruiters need to be familiar with industry hiring practices and the competitive landscape.
To excel in a recruiter role in cybersecurity, professionals should understand:
Key Cybersecurity Roles and Skills: Recruiters must be familiar with the wide range of roles, from security analysts to network engineers and SOC managers, as well as the business side roles like GRC specialists and compliance officers. Understanding what each role entails and the specific skills needed (e.g., certifications like CISSP, Security+, CC for technical roles) is critical for sourcing the right candidates.
Hiring Trends and Competitive Landscape: The cybersecurity field is highly competitive, with a major shortage of skilled professionals. Recruiters need to understand the supply-and-demand gap, which is leading to increased salary expectations and aggressive recruiting efforts. Additionally, knowing the general certifications and skill sets that make candidates stand out in this competitive field is crucial.
Cybersecurity Hiring Practices: Recruiters should be aware of common hiring processes in the cybersecurity space, such as technical assessments, coding challenges, or scenario-based interviews that evaluate how a candidate handles real-world security issues. Additionally, soft skills like problem-solving, team collaboration, and communication are often just as important as technical skills in this industry.
If you’re a recruiter in the cybersecurity space, understanding the basics of cybersecurity concepts will help you identify the right candidates and speak the same language as hiring managers and candidates alike.
To nail the interview: As a recruiter, you should be prepared to discuss how you would approach sourcing candidates for hard-to-fill roles, what cybersecurity certifications and skills are most relevant, and how you would navigate the talent shortage in this field.
Building Your Cybersecurity Knowledge: Recommended Training
To truly stand out in interviews and thrive in a business operations role in cybersecurity, you’ll need to build foundational knowledge. Here are some excellent free and affordable training options to help you get started:
1. LinkedIn Learning: Explore Cybersecurity Careers
Cost: Subscription-based (with a free trial available)
What it Covers: This course provides an overview of cybersecurity career paths, the different roles available, and the skills and certifications needed for each. It’s ideal for anyone looking to explore technical and non-technical roles in the cybersecurity industry.
Best For: Recruiters, career changers, or anyone looking to understand the range of cybersecurity roles and how to break into them.
2. ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity (CC)
Cost: Free (through ISC2’s "One Million Certified in Cybersecurity" initiative)
What it Covers: This certification introduces key concepts like cybersecurity governance, risk management, and compliance frameworks, making it perfect for business operations professionals.
Best For: Finance, HR, legal, compliance, project management, and vendor management professionals.
2. LinkedIn Learning’s Cybersecurity Awareness Series
Cost: Subscription-based (with a free trial available)
What it Covers: A series of introductory courses that teach business professionals about data protection, risk management, and compliance.
Best For: HR, operations, and training professionals who need a foundational understanding of cybersecurity in the workplace.
3. Coursera’s Introduction to Cybersecurity Specialization
Cost: Free to audit (with a fee for certification)
What it Covers: This course covers threats, vulnerabilities, compliance regulations, and risk management, providing a broader introduction to cybersecurity.
Best For: Legal, compliance, vendor management, and project management professionals looking to deepen their understanding of cybersecurity risks and regulations.
The Cybersecurity Industry Needs You—Now More Than Ever
Cybersecurity companies aren’t just looking for IT experts—they need business professionals like you to keep things running smoothly, ensure compliance, manage risks, and drive growth. Whether you’re in finance, HR, legal, or operations, there’s a place for you in this high-demand industry.
And the best part? You can make the leap with the right training and some foundational cybersecurity knowledge. From understanding data protection to ensuring compliance with industry standards, your business expertise—combined with cybersecurity basics—can make you an invaluable asset.
