With so many areas of information security to pursue, the sector is wide open for careers anew and in transition, to pique the interest of many personality types and talents.

“By 2020 we will have a shortage of 1.5M cyber experts.” [Frost & Sullivan]

The search might be confusing and overwhelming for people new and acclimated to information technology, unaware of types of roles in demand now. And planning for what roles will potentially sustain or become in demand.

This article is the first in a series that will examine the types of roles available in the information security sector, for individuals considering (or have not ever considered) and for those of us who have worked with technology in some capacity.

For example, if you are a software developer, or newly studying computer science, security is not usually top of mind in the design and implementation phases of software development. The reasons are usually due to a lack of commitment by leadership to enforce cybersecurity best practices across the organization.

In my current Intro to Programming Concepts course, which wraps in few weeks, security elements regarding learning to code have not been taught.  Probably because it is an intro class with so much already to absorb.  Security in coding will surely be part of the overall program at the university level.

My major is technical writing, so I plan to self-study after this course completes, and implement my own creative and security elements while advancing my programming skills.

Cyber and network security methods have become an integral part of doing business for companies in this digitally connected world.  Organizations that fall behind in security spend will have to answer to their clients, employees, and stakeholders, through reputation and longevity of your business.  The implications of the products and services you release and support, and the data breaches you’ll endure, are serious.

Since workers have migrated to remote work conditions, companies have had to respond with new technology changes, all due to the COVID-19 crisis. These transformative moves have expanded the threat environment and compliance risk for all organizations. This global shift is expected to impact lasting changes in the way we live and work.

As you may know, there is already a lack of suitably skilled subject matter expert individuals for hire, and an increasing reliance on digital services that need to be secured. Effective security means balancing all the different components. Organizations that do not embrace effective cybersecurity will soon fall behind.

With a shift to remote work technologies, so will the need for security professionals skilled in cloud storage and mobile technologies. Already there has been a gap between developers and security managers when it comes to software development [OWASP].

These gaps allow for software vulnerabilities that can lead to data breaches and financial ruin of a company.

Some of the top challenges for implementing Application Security:

• Lack of application security skills, tools and methods
• Silos between security, development and business units
• Identifying all applications in the portfolio

Globally recognized by developers as the first step towards more secure coding, are the OWASP Top 10 principles for application development.  For stability and security in software development, many use agility to push smaller releases more often, to lower the overall risk posture of the applications.

Cross departmental communication is effective for optimal security hygiene, when employees talk openly with management, the better leaders can assess organizational gaps.

When you need to turn to cybersecurity and compliance professionals for next steps and assistance, you can trust that Abacode has the ethics and expertise to help small to medium sized business leaders.

Next week, I’ll explore other interesting cybersecurity related jobs, but I also want to know, what roles interest you?

Employee Reminder: Restart your computers daily, so systems and application software updates and security patches are implemented.

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