What does a product security expert need, and what challenges do they face?
Hard skills in cybersecurity, systems engineering, IT architecture, software development, auditing and process management, plus resilience, organisation, persuasiveness and persistence. They face growing complexity, resistance from product management, pressure for faster and cheaper, and growing compliance and customer demands.
| Hard skills | Soft skills | Challenges |
|---|---|---|
| Cybersecurity | Resilient | Complexity drives vulnerability |
| System engineering | Organised | Resistance from product management |
| IT architecture | Persuasive | Management pressure for faster and cheaper |
| Software development | Persistent | Time pressure |
| Auditing | Good communicator, team player | Growing compliance requirements |
| Process management | Diligent | Growing customer demand |
The soft skills carry as much weight as the technical ones. Security measures are mostly non-functional, so the expert has to persuade a product manager to spend time on them. That means translating a technical vulnerability into a business risk the manager cares about. Nobody has the whole list. The point is to know which parts you are missing and work with people who have them.