Everything You Need to Know about Security Engineering

For startups and fast-growing SaaS organizations, it’s easy for cybersecurity and compliance tasks to pile up and bog down your engineering and IT team’s productivity. That’s where security engineering comes in.

BARR’s cybersecurity consulting team recently added security engineering to their lineup of cybersecurity services. So, what is security engineering, and how do you know when to hire a security engineer for your organization?

Let’s break it down.

What is Security Engineering?

Security engineers are external consultants who assist with the implementation, remediation, and management of technical controls.

“Our consulting team members aren’t just project managers anymore. We’re now the ‘doers,’” said Larry Kinkaid, manager on BARR’s cybersecurity consulting team.

Hiring an external security engineer allows your team to offload tedious, complicated security tasks so they can focus on their “day jobs,” adding value for your customers and growing the business.

What Does a Security Engineer Do?

In addition to identifying and remediating gaps in your organization’s cybersecurity posture, security engineers can also assist with the maintenance and management of security tools and processes such as:

• Cloud-native security centers
• Security awareness training
• Endpoint detection and response
• Mobile device management
• Cloud security posture management (e.g. AWS, GCP, Azure)
• Penetration testing and vulnerability scanning
• Incident response

Security engineers can also offer advice on an organization’s security architecture, including patch management, network segmentation, and remote access—tasks that often fall on developers and technical support teams, who may not have the time or expertise to solve complicated security and compliance problems.

“Security engineers wear many different hats depending on your organization’s cybersecurity goals and compliance requirements,” Kinkaid said. “We’re not just finding gaps in your security posture. We take on the technical work required to fill those gaps so members of your team can focus their time on what they do best.”

Does My Team Need a Security Engineer?

If your team is overwhelmed with complicated or time-consuming cybersecurity and compliance tasks, working with a security engineer can help ease the pressure and provide a fresh perspective on how to improve your overall cybersecurity posture.

Security engineers don’t just monitor your environment for potential issues and incidents; they also have the skillset required to develop and execute a robust response plan, whether that means launching a responsible disclosure program or making changes to your SaaS platform’s source code.

With those items crossed off the to-do list, your team can concentrate on building the business through their own unique areas of expertise.

Ready to get started? Contact us today to find out how much time your team could save by working with a security engineer.