[Job portrait] What does a Security Engineer actually do?

Do you know what is involved in the day-to-day work of a Security Engineer? We interviewed our Security Engineer Philipp Käppeli to enable you to get a better idea of the wide range of tasks his job entails. In this job portrait, find out why there is no one single career path, the highlights of his everyday work life, insights into cross-team cooperation, and why Philipp feels so at home at InfoGuard.

Philipp, in a nutshell, can you describe your job as a Security Engineer at InfoGuard?

The focus of my work is “Endpoint Security & Management”. Every customer has different requirements and challenges in this area that need to be taken on board. That is why there is no such thing as a universal solution, and that is what makes my work so exciting and varied.

What is a typical working day like for you?

Apart from checking my e-mails as usual in the morning, I don’t really have a typical working day. Some days I spend on-site at clients’ offices, but most of the time I can organise my work independently. This is no problem with working from home, although I also like to come into the office in Baar to meet up with my co-workers. Every day is different. It could be creating pre-sales presentations, implementing solutions at new CDC clients, in-depth problem analysis or educating myself, because that’s also extremely important in my job.

What are the highlights and maybe the lowlights of your job?

On my projects, I work with a wide range of different clients operating in a lot of different industries. This gives me an insight into exciting organisations and infrastructures, which always fascinates me beyond the technical aspect. Another big plus in my job is that I can organise a large area of my work autonomously. This also gives me a level of flexibility in my private life. It also allows me the ability to take part in ongoing training and gives me scope for any professional “emergencies” that may arise. 🙂 An actual lowlight? At worst, critical emergencies may require me to juggle my diary a bit, but you learn to cope with that.

What is your career path like? Is there one single career path?

After completing my apprenticeship as an IT specialist, it was rather by chance via my previous employer that I found my way into IT security. Before that, I was aware of the industry, but my interest in IT and cyber security was only really piqued at that point. I also completed a higher technical course in Business Information Technology, primarily to expand my knowledge of organisational issues, which I am now able to apply almost every day.

I don’t believe that there is one single career path. IT and IT security are very wide-ranging, so there are a lot of different paths. This means that there are many different entry points. In my opinion, the most important thing is to carry on learning.

As a Security Engineer, you often work for clients, but you also have to interact professionally with other InfoGuard colleagues. What do you particularly enjoy about that?

The aspect of my job that I like the most is being helpful in a meaningful way. The numerous experiences I have gained and my technical expertise enable me to help our clients build up a good security system in a targeted way. I get a certain satisfaction from seeing that clients are continuing to evolve over the long term – I know that I’m doing something positive for our clients. On the other hand, I can support my colleagues in various situations, for example the SOC colleagues with emergency deployments, which also boosts team cohesion and promotes knowledge transfer.

What do you think the biggest changes in your job will be in the future?

The increasing awareness of cloud-based services in Switzerland means that the infrastructure that needs to be protected will probably change a lot in my job, and so will the related modified and/or new technologies. The implication of that is that ongoing training for advanced expertise and hands-on immersion will need to be prioritised too.

Why did you decide to join InfoGuard about two and a half years ago?

I became aware of the position from an external source. When I looked into the job more closely, I was particularly impressed by the service portfolio. Also, I had heard only positive things from people who already knew of InfoGuard. During the job interview, it immediately became clear to me that InfoGuard was the right employer for me; on one hand, because of the projects and the exciting customer portfolio, and on the other hand, for my own personal development. In particular, so far I have learned an enormous amount on the job and I can still see great potential for learning more.

How would you describe InfoGuard as an employer?

What I appreciate at InfoGuard is that it is a straightforward, modern employer. The company culture is something that is valued very highly. This can also be seen in what are now almost legendary employee events, which fortunately can now take place more regularly again, as well as in the collegial, open working atmosphere. Furthermore, updates are regularly communicated internally by the departments and the management and are explained in a transparent way. Also, inputs and suggestions for improvement (also across teams) are welcomed and are often implemented.

At the moment, you and your colleagues are looking for new staff. What would the person have to be like to be a good fit, both personally and professionally?

New additions to our team should not shy away from customer contact, they should be open and curious and should be able to communicate ideas and suggestions (for improvement) in an appropriate manner. This requires good communication skills. The ability to organise yourself and take personal responsibility are also important skills.

Thanks Philipp for the interview!

Would you like to join Philipp and his colleagues?

At the moment, we are looking for several Security Engineers and Architects with different specialist areas. Do you have not only the knowledge but also the experience required, are you eager to learn and do you enjoy contact with clients? Then you might be just the right person to complement Philipp and his colleagues. You can expect both varied customer and network projects and a great place to work, with the opportunity to develop, attractive benefits and a team that is looking forward to meeting you. Click here to see vacancies:

Service Desk Manager

Head of Application Management

Lead Engineer Microsoft Security

Maybe security engineering isn’t the right area for you, but you may still be interested in joining InfoGuard? All our vacancies can be found on our website. Or better still, subscribe to our job alert! That way, you will be immediately informed if your dream job is advertised.

By the way, did you already read our last job portrait where Sebastiano Davanzo gave us an insight into his work as a Cyber Security Consultant? Read now!