Industry Analysis:
Information Technology Information Assurance Cyber Defense Consulting
I currently work for the Department of Defense as a military Cyber Warfare Officer. I am an EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) and Certified Network Defense Architect (CNDA).
Barriers to entry:
There are no extreme barriers to entry in the IT protection consulting industry. A firm will need a strong qualified staff that has not only the certifications and credentials to back up the proposed scope of work that is pitched to potential clients, but the skills and experience to execute the services advertised. The IT Information Assurance consulting field does not take a great deal of capitol to start up, but with the wave of these new firms entering the sector, it can be challenging to ascertain new clients.
Barriers to exit:
As with entry into the field of Cyber defense consulting, exiting this industry would not be difficult either. The only challenge that a firm might have with exiting the industry would be the ongoing investment of helping a company protect its information. If you have a running contract or agreement with a company and are currently providing them with defensive cyber operations (information assurance) services, then severing those ties may leave the client vulnerable to hackers or spillage of information. This could be mitigated by only providing consulting work, not touch labor.
Customer Buying Power:
The Cyber Defense industry’s buying power is increasing daily. With more and more destructive attempts and successful acts of hacking important information from companies and people on the rise and documented daily in the news, most all companies are interested in how they can better protect their information. Although the environment is competitive, and weak competitors can easily exit the market, the demand for information protection