We’ve recently noticed a growing demand to hire Cyber Security Specialists. The media is alive with reports of breached security on the digital front; credit card information, identify theft, online banking and sensitive intellectual property are all regularly targeted by digital attacks. Businesses tell us all the time that the IT industry is spending billions annually on protecting their information, and this has actually created a new specialist Cyber Security vertical within the IT marketplace.
The Cost of Instant Access
In the first quarter of this year, we saw one of America’s largest cloud providers suffer from ‘Cloud Bleed’, leaking information for up to 5 months all due to a minimal error in the code! The data was since recovered and no major breach of either private or personal data achieved, but that’s just one particular example of an event that has driven recruitment in this sector.
As consumers, we are actively pursuing all the latest services that today’s digital platforms can offer. Think of home automation; turning your air con on 10 mins before you get home so the house is nice and cool. Getting a notification to your phone stating you left the iron on and asking if you’d you like to turn it off. Ordering your takeaway from your watch because your phone is charging all the way in the bedroom. This is the direction we are driving service providers toward, we want now and we chase. We ‘need’ internet connectivity in our lives, both public and private, we want everything instantly, and by golly look out if we have to wait!
How Concerned Should You Be?
We are in a new age, where delivery is paramount and any wait times are considered excessive. Would you join a bank today that did not have an app? Would you go to a restaurant that doesn’t take online bookings/orders? As we drive demand towards services being available 24/7, security is an essential aspect we need to consider. Is my banking app secure? Is it safe to shop online? Will my bank recover and return my funds if there is a breach? Will that restaurant be able to use my credit card outside of the online ordering platform?
Realistically, as businesses undertake their digital transformation, Cyber Security is a critical consideration with risk assessments being undertaken for each service and platform they elect to implement due to consumer demand. Cyber Security is something we as individuals should be conscious of because the days of having antivirus software on your computer being sufficient are well and truly gone.
These days everyone has smart phones, and wearable devices like smart watches are growing in popularity. From questionable emails to a random memory stick just itching to be plugged in – they all pose risks to the security of technology based environments. As we ask for more services and expect more from our internet enabled devices, we must also educate ourselves to be safer users and security conscious with our digital lives and thus empowering this wondrous drive toward 24/7 service.
A Recruitment Demand for Hackers
Looking at these events from a recruitment perspective, we have seen a monumental increase in demand for specialist skills in this new exciting Cyber Security vertical. Often, simply an interest in security combined with a technical background is enough for clients to engage candidates. This new drive to hire sits on all sides; operational, professional and managed services are all aggressively consuming this new demand. As IT specialists tend to gravitate towards project based work over and above maintenance, they are naturally drifting to security. It’s a fascinating sector where the moment something is completed, it is outdated, which constantly pushes the progression of new technologies, new platforms and new functionality – all equating to new skill sets emerging into the market.
Hackers are no longer sitting in poorly illuminated rooms attempting to breach security measures. Instead, they are employed, and are in some cases actively encouraged by enterprise environments to test the measures currently in use, with the promise of an employment offer for those who manage to breach their security. The demand for the Cyber Security specialists has just taken off. If you’re reconsidering your IT career, this is the place to be.
If you’d like to know more about how you can build your career in Cyber Security (or IT in general), get in touch.
