Q&A: Security Thought Leaders Discuss Certs, SMEs & Hiring Process

One way to combat that involves grassroots efforts to boost the ranks. But do security teams search for qualified, seasoned experts, and do they look for specialization or the proverbial “generalist” who can cover many corners of the cyber space? It is an ongoing debate in the industry, and today, we’ve brought together two security thought leaders to provide their take. We sat down with Kayne McGladrey, Co-Founder and Spokesperson, Include Security, and Rebecca Wynn, Head of Information Security and Data Protection Officer (DPO), Senior Director, Matrix Medical Network.

The IT exec’s reading list

For creative direction on hiring, Kayne McGladrey, co-founder of Include Cybersecurity, turned to “Who,” by Geoff Smart and Randy Street. “This is a book I consistently recommend to all managers and directors who are responsible for hiring personnel, in that it defines a consistent and repeatable technique for identifying and hiring high-performing candidates,” McGladrey says. “When I started as a manager, I followed a lot of the pseudo-science that I’d seen from prior managers and found it wasn’t reliable advice.”

How Awareness, Attention Can Improve Cyber Security

Besides working nights, I learned in my fifteen-minute conversation that Rosa volunteers at an elementary school. She’d met no one who worked in cyber security, and the kids she worked with hadn’t considered it as a career option. They wanted to be rappers, they wanted to be marine biologists; they didn’t know there was a high-paying position called “security operations center analyst.”

The Future Workspace: Secure and Collaborative

“The most essential technology for tomorrow’s workspace is a reliable and agreed-upon primary communications technology, with a backup,” says Kayne McGladrey (@kaynemcgladrey), director of Security and IT at Pensar Development. “As organizations recognize the benefits of remote work for employees and contractors, they still need to reach people quickly.”

How is Hybrid Cloud helping to accelerate innovation? Let’s count the ways.

“Hybrid cloud solutions can help organizations deploy cybersecurity solutions faster, without deploying additional infrastructure or spending staff hours on software and platform updates,” said Kayne McGladrey (@kaynemcgladrey), director of security and IT at Pensar Development. “This will help organizations to deploy innovative solutions rapidly such as deception technologies, which can reduce the ‘dwell time’ associated with breaches.”

IEEE Cybersecurity Expert Discusses New Scams and Ways to Thwart Them

Another way to thwart cyberattacks is to increase the number of cybersecurity experts, McGladrey says. According to the 2017 cybercrime report from the Herjavec Group, cybersecurity firms estimate such crimes are going to cost about $6 trillion annually by 2021. Companies are experiencing shortages in qualified applicants for cybersecurity jobs. The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates there are now about 350,000 unfilled positions, and that number is only going to increase. McGladrey says.

Certifications A Part Of ‘Vicious Circle’ In Cyber Security Space?

“This (factors into) the broader economic outlook,” McGladrey told the Cyber Security Hub. “If the economy is thriving and people are considering asking for a raise, they may pursue a new certification. If they do not receive the raise, they may mentally justify the time spent by putting the certification on their resume and searching for new openings.”

Podcast Cybersecurity Briefing for Senior Executives With Kayne McGladrey: #AskTheCEO Episode 63

[01:23] What are the most pressing Cyber threats to businesses?

[03:30] Why is diversity, and hiring more women, so important for Cybersecurity?

[07:54] Why do cybercriminals go after our data?

[24:11] With cybercriminals spoofing GPS signals, how concerned should we be about them redirecting self-driving cars?

[25:21] What’s next in Cybersecurity and Cybercrime?