How do engineers make cyber networks safer?
Engineers make networks safer by developing and implementing a security system for a company by identifying possible weak points and then creating safety protocols to prevent breaches. Engineers do this by using routers, firewalls, and network-monitoring tools to secure the network, and in the professional setting, we will see an engineer set very strict rules and parameters for network settings that make it so that users can only access secured and encrypted sites. When I was in the Army, we were on very strict network settings, and on most bases, you could not even access Facebook or Youtube because they were considered a security threat and liability.
Another tool that engineers use when designing a network in the professional setting is to create unique credentials for every user on the network and assign levels of access for each user. Giving access to data to individuals who need it the most and restricting the number of people who have that access to make it more secure. For example, only the technicians assigned to managing the plant will have access to those systems along with their supervisors and management team so the wrong person does not access something that is highly sensitive. Having a skilled network engineer is very important in today’s environment because they are the ones doing the initial assessment of your network and the first to define the parameters to keep the system safe as well. They are the backbone of network team and they are critical to keeping data safe.