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EDITOR’S QUESTION
JAMES HADLEY, CEO OF
IMMERSIVE LABS
W
hen most people think about
cybersecurity and careers within
the field, there’s a good chance
the first thing that comes to mind is the age-
old stereotype that continues to live on: a
computer science graduate, most likely male;
or, worse yet, someone who likes to sit at a
computer with a hoodie up.
This has created a problem for the industry;
a skills gap has ensued and with the threat
landscape continuing to broaden at a rapid
rate, there are simply not enough people
opting to work in cybersecurity.
“
CYBERSECURITY
IS A HUGELY
REWARDING
CAREER AND
HAS MANY
OPPORTUNITIES,
NOT ONLY FOR
TECHNICAL
INDIVIDUALS BUT
ALSO THOSE WITH
ROUNDED RISK
MANAGEMENT
AND
COMMUNICATION
SKILLS.
www.intelligentcio.com
As security threats become more common
and increase in sophistication, the massive
deficit in skills for highly trained security
professionals is a reality many companies
will have to face now and in the future. This
shortage in skills makes not only finding
the right people to fill the positions more
difficult, but it also increases the competition
among those who are skilled, so companies
may find these employees harder to retain.
But all hope is not lost; the stereotypical
cybersecurity worker is just that, a
stereotype. With less and less people
choosing to study computer science and the
industry relying heavily on new technology
to reduce risks, it’s time to expand
cybersecurity and encourage individuals
who break the traditional mould to give the
industry a go.
People from non-technical backgrounds can
bring fresh perspectives to cybersecurity
and assist with issues that are just as
much people problems as they are deeply
technical. Often, skills from different degrees,
work experience and even soft skills are
transferable into a cyber role and incredibly
beneficial when put to use.
Equally, the recruitment process should (and
increasingly acknowledges that it must)
adjust to identify those with demonstrable
skills, rather than involve CV scanning for
university degrees; this will help close the
skills gap, thus helping to reduce the amount
of breaches we see in the UK.
The industry needs to do more to lower
the barriers of entry and signpost the jobs
available and what it means to have a career
in cybersecurity.
There are plenty of great initiatives
including introducing cybersecurity events
at schools; however, they don’t scale or
provide the means to engage individuals
/////////////////
in developing skills. Finally, we need to
drop the stereotypical image of a hoodie-
wearing male with 1s and 0s as a backdrop.
Cybersecurity is a hugely rewarding career
and has many opportunities, not only
for technical individuals but also those
with rounded risk management and
communication skills.
At Immersive Labs, we tackle the distinct lack
of diversity in cyber head-on through our
free Digital Cyber Academies for students
and veterans, those with neurodiverse
conditions and women returning to work.
These academies allow people from all
backgrounds a chance to develop real-life
cyberskills, as well as provide a platform
for a career in cybersecurity without any
predisposed biases. Equally, they enable
organisations to adopt a skills-led hiring
process, removing the barrier and over-
reliance on university computer science
degrees. We have seen companies we
work with be incredibly receptive to these
initiatives. By taking advantage of a
new approach to this problem using
gamification, employers can encourage
staff to keep their skills current as well as
identify new talent within the organisation
and promote healthy competition.
INTELLIGENTCIO
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