I have always been interested in Information technology, and after completing my Bachelor of Computer Science, I worked at Pakistan Cricket Board’s I.T. department. In 2012, I decided to pursue an MBA at the University of Tasmania and later started working in Australia.
I joined CGI as a Service Desk analyst in 2016, and, while I was working, I had a chance to learn about cybersecurity with colleagues from the Security Operations Center, subsequently developing a keen interest in the field.
Thanks to the support of my manager at the time, I had the opportunity to complete training to acquire the skills needed to move into a cybersecurity role. I completed cybersecurity related certifications and was promoted to Cybersecurity Analyst in 2019.
I’ve been in my current role over a year now, and during that time I’ve received ongoing learning opportunities via formal training, certifications, and mentoring from peers who are experienced in the field. Here’s a little more about what life is like as a Cybersecurity Analyst at CGI.
What my role entails
In my current role as Cybersecurity Analyst, we provide 24/7 monitoring of client network and respond to cybersecurity incidents. As part of our monitoring services, we perform ongoing threat hunting activities, which involves looking for signs of any security breaches and the presence of malicious artefacts that may pose a threat to the security posture of a client.
I am also required to identify, analyse and initiate actions to remediate any vulnerabilities discovered before an attacker can exploit these.
New threats and vulnerabilities emerge every day, so it is important to keep myself up to date with this information and analyse potential effects on the client’s environment. I am then able to recommend steps to minimise the exposure to these threats.
In today’s world, information systems contain mission-critical organisational information and it is very important to keep this information safe.
A data breach not only affects an organisation’s operations but could also damage its reputation. Timely identification and effective response to these situations is a critical part of my role.
How CGI has supported my career progression – and how it can help you
Some of the best people in the industry work for CGI and I have received a lot of support and mentoring from my managers as well as my colleagues here. This includes formal training opportunities and completing various certifications along the way.
In addition to these training opportunities, various mentoring and hands-on experience opportunities at CGI have helped me to learn new skills and improve my industry knowledge.
Here, a positive can-do attitude and desire to learn and improve your skills is very important. It not only helps you to grow your career but also embrace CGI’s ownership culture, which I wholeheartedly believe in.
For others hoping to follow a similar path, my advice is to make the best of the learning and training opportunities offered by CGI, reach out to your peers for feedback and information, improve your current skillset, and aim to learn new verticals.
Learning never stops in cybersecurity. It is a very dynamic field: every day there are hundreds of new attacks discovered. Keeping yourself up to date is very important for providing the best services to your clients.
I’m happy to say the continuous learning and support I’ve received at CGI has been a big contributor to my success – and helped me achieve my professional dreams.
If you’re interested in being a part of our dynamic and fast-growing team, check out our careers page for the latest job opportunities.
