Cybersecurity: Hire Skilled Staff to Win the War

You don’t have to look much beyond the headlines to know that the good guys are having trouble keeping up with the malicious hackers — it’s a war that businesses need to win.

One reason they’re losing is a shortage of IT pros with cybersecurity training and experience. That’s likely because as recently as 2011, according to a Lloyd’s study, C-level execs didn’t consider security to be on the most significant risks to their businesses. Times certainly have changed.

This one-stop gallery offers tips on how to solve the skills shortage that is making businesses’ data vulnerable.

Looking for more? Click here for access to our in-depth report on solving the cybersecurity skills shortage.

**Source material by Michael Cobb**

Follow executive editor Craig Galbraith on Twitter.

They can also be smart.

Large enterprises are no longer the only victims of black hats; malicious hackers won’t hesitate to look for smaller organizations that are short in cybersecurity expertise.

Making things worse, recent studies show that within five years, technology itself will be good enough to fill the cybersecurity skills gap. That’s dangerous thinking considering the enemy is tirelessly looking for new ways around new tech.

Hiring quality cybersecurity pros takes a different approach.

Cover your ears, parents — many industry insiders say employers should be relying less on a four-year degree as evidence of skills. Diversity is also important; only one in 10 in this profession is female — and minorities aren’t well represented either. You’ll have a better talent pool with diverse thinking if your security staff don’t all look the same.

Furthermore, potential hires should not only be interested in security but also in making a contribution to how the business delivers security. Nerds who hole up in a cubicle won’t fare as well as people with strong communication skills. Analytical skills are also important; an understanding of what makes the business tick will give cybersecurity professionals a leg up in their jobs.

While finding qualified candidates can be a problem, so can keeping them happy.

Just a few key tips from those listed above: Make the hiring process quick; get help from master agents and distributors; and be creative with incentives.

The following high-value security skills are in the most short supply:

• Intrusion detection
• Secure software development
• Attack mitigation

These are demanding jobs that will require even your best employees time to get up to speed. They’ll need to understand hardware, software, networks and applications — as well as knowledge of the threats and vulnerabilities the business faces and the most common ways a malicious hacker might target the organization.

Good cybersecurity pros want their skills to evolve, so helping them with continuing education is important.

Paying for their security-certification expenses is a good strategy for keeping them from leaving you; in fact, many value those as much or more than raises.

Of course, outsourcing cybersecurity to a solution provider is a good option. About half of U.S. organizations outsource at least some of their security work. Threat detection and monitoring are two of the best fits for this.

When it comes right down to it, businesses that are unable to maintain skilled cybersecurity pros leave their information vulnerable.

There are a number of government and industry initiatives in play that will increase the security candidate pool eventually, but in the meantime, offering worthwhile opportunities to potential hires and giving them continued training should help fill the gap.

Looking for more? Click here for access to our in-depth report on solving the cybersecurity skills shortage.

Please click here for more Channel Partners galleries.