We caught up with Jennifer, who studied MSCi IT for Creative Industries at Lancaster University. She now works as a Cyber Security Graduate at Atos and she told us about how she got there, how it was settling in and what her role is like...
Tell us a bit about your background
I studied IT for Creative Industries at Lancaster University, which was a course designed to be the bridge between programmers and designers. One of my modules contained an introduction to cyber security, which sparked an interest in the field and led me to arranging my industrial placement with a cyber security company.
When I was considering my career options for post-university, I was concerned that my existing technical knowledge would not be strong enough to do well in a technical graduate scheme. However, the Atos graduate scheme provides a great support network and training, which encouraged me to apply. In the time I’ve been at Atos I have learnt more than I expected, and find my day-to-day role as a Security Operations Analyst provides the perfect balance: enjoyable and interesting yet challenging.
From my first day, the people at Atos made me feel welcome and were very friendly. The Atos buddy system made sure I had a friend long before my start date, which made moving to a new city a lot easier. Everyone took the time to explain how Atos works, taught new concepts and demonstrated how to use the tools, which meant I learnt a lot in a very short space of time. I have met some of my closest friends through Atos and always look forward to the team social events outside work.
In terms of career development, my role provides great exposure to different cyber threats and real life attacks. Atos also has an e-learning library and courses such as the cyber academy, which help boost technical knowledge and expertise.
What is your role at Atos like?
My role involves monitoring a variety of detection and prevention systems for cyber attacks. Our team’s main job is to ensure our customers and their information are protected from hackers. If an alert is triggered, we identify the threat and investigate the security incident to determine the best course of action. Cyber attacks are becoming more sophisticated each day, with new threats and viruses constantly emerging. Every day is different, and there’s always something new and exciting to learn in the fast paced world of cyber security.