It isn’t breaking news that there is a steady – and alarming – rise in cybersecurity breaches and overall compromises in data and hardware. What is news is the lack of field experts that are available to deal with such a rise in demand.
The field of ‘cybersecurity expert’ wasn’t even on the radar until recently, and since this type of expertise comes with experience, there isn’t a long list of candidates available for hire.
In conjunction with the lack of trained experts in the field, is a lack of planning on the part of organizations to be properly prepared for a breach or issue with their cybersecurity. Businesses are not adequately staffing their team with the proper people, because they haven’t identified the danger itself or the need for such staff. This is where we as technology experts need to ensure that the IT firms that support businesses do better by not only making their clients aware of the necessity – Yes, it can happen to you – but also making sure we ourselves are doing the right thing to protect our own businesses.
There may have been a time when we thought it was unnecessary to have a certain division within our organization for an issue that was a “satellite” issue – one that didn’t directly affect our team. For example, it may have been a health and wellness initiative for our employees. It was a benefit, but not exactly a necessity. IT and cybersecurity should not be considered to be that type of effort within our organization. It needs to be identified as something as critical as payroll, for without a plan or protection, any business is essentially a sitting duck to the dangers of cyber crime.
While the issue with having a plethora of candidates to choose from is one that will be addressed with time, we must collectively work to increase demand, educate our communities, and express the value that comes with dealing with cybersecurity. Generally, this works to create awareness, for not only the workforce to redirect their efforts and training, but also to give businesses the critical push that is needed to ensure their cybersecurity.
Leave a Reply