AMU Emergency Management Public Safety

More Millennials Likely to Seek Cybersecurity as a Career

A million jobs unfilled

One million job openings. That is the number of cybersecurity positions that went unfilled across the globe in 2015. Considering that the threat of cyber attacks is increasing daily, this leaves the nation, and the world, highly vulnerable.

A recent [link url=”http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/products/collateral/security/cybersecurity-talent.pdf” title=”study”] revealed a wide and persistent gap between the perception of cybersecurity preparedness and the true preparedness reality for majority of companies. Most organizations believe that the cybersecurity measures they have in place are fully optimized. But this is not the case in most instances.

As the study indicated: “This disconnect, along with the rapidly evolving regulatory requirements and networking technology will further widen the cybersecurity skills gap.”

As the IoE (Internet of Everything) continues to encompass more devices and platforms, greater attack surfaces must be protected. The result is that cybersecurity issues become exacerbated due to the blending of IT and operational technology. As more consumers engage in the IoE, buildings, vehicles, and manufacturing plants become vulnerable to an attack.

The good news is that millennials have taken notice and many of them–a [link url=”http://www.raytheoncyber.com/news/feature/2016_cyber_survey.html” title=”Raytheon survey”] indicated around 37 percent–are now considering entering the cybersecurity career field. The field also offers other benefits that appeal to millennials, including gaining employment at an organization that fits within their beliefs and one they can support. The cybersecurity field typically offers a high wage, and provides skill sets that vary, other requirements that drive millennial career choices.

The survey also illuminated an alarming gap that is widening – and gender-based. Women are not as likely to enter a cyber career due to less knowledge and exposure to the field. Many women also believe that no programs or activities exist within the cybersecurity field, and are less informed about what these professionals actually do.

https://twitter.com/Cisco_Insights/status/660146652959924224

The study also suggested that as cybersecurity concerns move up to the executive level, companies are more likely to begin seeking talented cybersecurity professionals. Sources include outside management companies, or individuals with skills along a wide range of platforms within cybersecurity, including specialties such as analytics, intelligence, and programming.

https://twitter.com/HWusers/status/796105838964289536

The study cautioned that while being proactive is critical to ensuring public trust, having an incident-response plan is crucial to maintaining credibility. When a breach occurs, and it is not if but when, it provides organizations with a solid recovery structure that can be quickly implemented to help protect data and restore consumer confidence.

Kimberly Arsenault serves as an intern at the Cleveland/Bradley County Emergency Management Agency where she works on plan revisions and special projects. Previously, Kimberly spent 15 years in commercial and business aviation. Her positions included station manager at the former Midwest Express Airlines, as well as corporate flight attendant, inflight manager, and charter flight coordinator. Kimberly currently holds a master's degree in emergency and disaster management from American Public University.

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