System engineers lie at the very heart of the complex problem of managing large-scale operations. A well put together and maintained system is essential for key industries to operate safely, efficiently, and with reduced errors. Ultimately, a system engineer protects the assets of a network through the “engineering of security functions; addressing the security aspects associated with the engineering of non-security functions; and protecting the intellectual property and otherwise sensitive data, information, technologies, and methods utilized as part of the systems engineering effort” (Ross et al.). System engineers are an essential part of large operations such as the power industry, water treatment facilities, manufacturing plants, etc.
System engineers need to wear many hats to satisfy the numerous demands up and down an organization’s management hierarchy. They need to be able to communicate with upper management and stockholders the expectations and requirements of the network. On a technical level, they need to be able to identify and implement the security measures necessary. They have to discover areas that need improvement as the system lives. Engineers need to protect network assets both proactively and reactively (Ross et al.). It is not enough to simply protect these assets, because cyber incidents can never truly be completely phased, out so the system must be ready to limit damage in such an event. The monetary aspect of an organization must also be considered, meaning that weighing the cost and benefits of network-related actions is another key role of the system engineer. They have to possess the ability to test, quantify, and prove the effectiveness of the system. A final role is leveraging “multiple security and other specialties to address all feasible solutions so as to deliver a trustworthy secure system” (Ross et al.). It is important to understand that these many roles all exist in a continuous process and that if the system engineer fails in any of these roles, then the entire network could be at an increased risk.
Some of the technical tasks that a system engineer undertakes to make cyber networks safer include penetration testing, assessing the network’s capabilities to understand where it currently stands, creating or finding security measures to include in the system to address concerns, and running audits to understand the past of the system to better plan for the future (Houston Christian University). Ultimately, system engineers make cyber networks safer by managing the overall security of the systems that are the backbone of society’s most essential industries.

Works Cited

Houston Christian University. “What Does a Cybersecurity Engineer Do?” Houston Christian University, 23 Oct. 2023, hc.edu/articles/what-does-a-cybersecurity-engineer-do.

Ross, Ron, et al. Systems Security Engineering: Considerations for a Multidisciplinary Approach in the Engineering of Trustworthy Secure Systems, Volume 1. 1 Mar. 2018, https://doi.org/10.6028/nist.sp.800-160v1.