In our blog series "A day as ...", we introduce colleagues from all areas of Governikus. We start with Sven Janza. Sven Janza entered the professional IT world around 20 years ago as a career changer and has been working as an IT security coordinator at Governikus for two years.
Sven, how did you get started at Governikus?
I started out in the classic way in 1st level support, where, as you know, many colleagues start their careers in IT. After a long period in the freight forwarding and logistics software industry, I found my way to Governikus. After working in various areas at Governikus, including as a support engineer and system administrator, I have now been in my current position as IT Security Coordinator since 2022.
What are your tasks as an IT security coordinator?
My tasks include vulnerability and security gap management, awareness communication in relation to IT and cyber security, as well as coordinating the security operations team. As IT and cyber security are very much rooted in information security, the IT Security Coordinator is also an integral part of our information security management system (ISMS for short) for our ISO 27001.
What does a typical working day look like for you in your home office and in the office?
An important step is to get an up-to-date picture of the cyber threat and vulnerability situation. In addition to specialist media, I also use other sources of information at regional, national and international level, such as the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). If there is no urgent need for action here, it's "daily business as usual" with daily office work, such as reading and writing emails, processing tasks in the project management tool, video meetings and many other tasks. I also constantly focus on possible threat situations together with the Security Operations team in order to become aware of potential attack vectors as early as possible in order to minimize or even avert dangers. True to the motto "prevention is better than reaction".
What qualifications do potential applicants need to work as an IT security coordinator?
In addition to training, e.g. as an IT specialist or a corresponding degree in computer science, IT security or IT forensics, followed by several years of professional experience in IT administration or IT security, applicants should already have a keen interest in IT and cyber security. A certain personal affinity for this subject area is an advantage. Specifically, this means that you should know and understand technical contexts in order to be able to better assess potential threats and dangers. Nevertheless, this position also requires constant further development and training, as this field is constantly changing and newer technologies, such as artificial intelligence, are constantly coming onto the market. Of course, qualities such as flexibility, stress resistance, perseverance and tenacity are also essential. Good communication skills are also required, e.g. to explain IT and security-related contexts to "non-computer scientists" in an understandable way.
What is particularly important when working as an IT security coordinator?
At Governikus, there are new topics and projects every year to expand preventive and protective measures against attacks on the company's IT infrastructure. Tests and exercises of the measures taken are of course not neglected. Even though it is well known that there is no such thing as 100% protection against attacks, non-permanent progress in this area in particular would mean a standstill, which unfortunately inevitably comes close to a step backwards and thus increases the likelihood of a massive attack.
Good to know: You can find all vacancies at Governikus on our careers page - it's worth taking a look!