A network security specialist is a person that is tasked with protecting an organization’s computer network and the data that it contains. The central aim is to secure the confidentiality of the data held in the network and to prevent unauthorized access to that data or the network itself.
A security specialist will monitor the system for incidents that could be potential breaches or other security threats, and investigate them. To do this they are responsible for installing, using and managing security software that is used to identify incidents.
Such software can be used to maintain firewalls between the network and the wider internet, install and apply encryption systems so that data cannot be accessed without the relevant key, manage user credentials, ensure these credentials are not compromised by third parties and document and maintain all procedures related to the security function.