System security engineers make networks safer by putting plans into place, that once acted upon, protect business and industrial assets. By detailing objectives for security teams to meet, they are essentially the roadmaps leading to the adequate defense of a company’s network. Engineers can do this by assessing the priority needs for protection of assets. For example, more protection being placed around administrator computer accounts than simple guest accounts. One set of accounts would be more detrimental to a network if compromised than the other. By prioritizing what is deemed a greater security risk for better protection, limited resources can be used more efficiently, thus making a more efficient security program through resource allocation. This all can be done through extensive cost/benefit analysis. Another method of ensuring network security, utilized by engineers, is developing methods of protecting the systems. By developing “best-practices” customized to the demands of a company, and security teams, plans can be formulated for the adequate defense of assets. Establishing proactive and reactive plans for controlling asset loss in the event of an attack is fundamental to these “best-practices”. This also ties into the idea of prioritizing the protection of those assets deemed more important. By expending more resources, i.e., money, on the defense of those priority assets, a better defended network is made. 

By addressing these needs, security system engineers protect the assets that stakeholders invest in. This in turn causes criminals to go to greater lengths to acquire those assets, thus creating an ever-present need for those engineers. It should be said that those security engineers are as much part of the security system as the assets and systems they have built.