Digital transformation has created countless opportunities for organizations looking to scale and grow their teams, but it has also created more sophisticated and stealthy cybercrime and risks that threaten an organization’s (and therefore its teams’) data and information.
Cyber attacks More frequent and severeOrganizations risk falling behind if they do not adequately provide their employees with the right resources. And people To protect their data and infrastructure, many organizations face significant gaps in cybersecurity skills, knowledge and technology, leaving them increasingly vulnerable to data breaches, ransomware and other major cybercrimes.
With a very limited talent pool to choose from and an ever-increasing number of technology jobs to fill, companies, including health insurers, Important decisions must be made and challenges must be addressed head on. Either wait for time to find the right talent or fill the time with ancillary personnel who may not be properly qualified or have sufficient cybersecurity knowledge.
So what’s the solution? It turns out upskilling and reskilling your current workforce could be a useful answer.
This article delves into the importance of increasing cybersecurity awareness and skills, highlighting the critical role HR decision makers can play in closing the widening skills gap.
Before we dive into how you, as an HR leader, can help your employees improve their cyber resilience skills, it’s important to understand just how volatile the current cyber threat landscape is.
The alarming reality of cybercrime and security
- The global cost of cybercrime is Expected to soar According to Statista, it is expected to grow from $9.22 trillion in 2024 to a staggering $13.82 trillion by 2028.
- Cyber threats are constantly evolving, with innovative new attack vectors and techniques emerging daily. Malware, ransomware, distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks, and phishing campaigns are just some of the threats facing organizations across industries.
- Not only are organizations at risk of having their funds stolen through a orchestrated ransomware attack, but they also could face regulatory or statutory fines if they are found to be in violation of data privacy laws.
- A single successful cyber attack, no matter how sophisticated, can have a significant impact on stakeholder and consumer trust, with knock-on effects on a company’s reputation and ultimately its sales.
- The types of advanced cybersecurity skills needed to combat new attack vectors range from vulnerability assessment to Penetration testing From (ethical hacking) simulations to managed SIEM or SOAR services to red and blue team exercises.
- Latest Cybersecurity Talent Survey According to ISC2, there is a global shortage of 4 million skilled cyber professionalsDespite the growth in cyber talent in 2023, the gap between the number of workers in demand and the number of available workers will widen by 12.6%, indicating a talent shortage of approximately 1 million workers.
- This widespread labor shortage highlights the urgent need for organizations to recruit skilled, cyber-aware employees who can identify and contain potential threats as they occur, which in turn can significantly improve an organization’s overall cyber hygiene and reduce its exposure to threats.
The Importance of Cyber Hygiene
Individuals and teams within an organization, regardless of size, need to adopt a mindset of maintaining proper security and keeping their digital assets and infrastructure safe. Maintaining cyber hygiene is essential whether you work only with internal teams or with external stakeholders, suppliers, and partners.
Good cyber hygiene includes:
- Keep your software and systems up to date with new security patches to protect against known vulnerabilities.
These are just a few examples of the minimum that all employees should do to maintain data integrity. Promoting and enforcing good cyber hygiene across your workforce can significantly reduce the risk of a data breach or cyber attack, but it’s important to remember that it doesn’t prevent it entirely.
Statistically, most data breaches are caused by some sort of human error, highlighting the need for stronger cyber knowledge and awareness within teams, no matter how well-defined their security knowledge may be.
That said, organizations, and especially their HR departments, have a vital role to play in closing this noticeable skills gap. Equipping employees with the necessary relevant skills, knowledge and resources is key to enhancing the security of an organization, and HR is the place where all this can be delivered.
How HR can close the cybersecurity skills gap
Training, upskilling and reskilling
- HR must make a conscious effort to develop robust, customized cybersecurity awareness and training programs for employees. These comprehensive programs should be tailored to specific knowledge gaps, taking into account the needs and risks of the organization.
- Ensure all training and upskilling programs are relevant and accessible to all employees, regardless of role, tenure or seniority.
- Regular refresher training and reskilling sessions will be conducted to reinforce new and up-to-date cyber best practices.
- Communicate regularly with your team about emerging threats and vulnerabilities, and emphasize the important role they play.
- Explore realistic, interactive, scenario-based training exercises to test real-world response strategies and build practical knowledge.
Policy Review
- HR departments should work closely with security and IT teams as well as top-level management to develop and implement relevant policies that reflect the right and proper behaviors, protocols, and strategies for their teams regarding cyber security.
- Ensure all policies are aligned with your organization’s overarching strategy, culture, and values, while also reflecting new industry recommendations and compliance requirements for cybersecurity.
- Improve and strengthen your policies in line with regulatory frameworks relevant to your organization’s industry, such as GDPR, CCPA, etc.
- Through clear communication and reminders, keep your team informed of policy updates and adjustments, and ensure employees understand the changes.
New talent acquisition and development strategies
- When hiring new talent, we interview them and then test their knowledge with a relevant cyber security skills assessment, which is crucial for roles that involve handling sensitive personal information or critical system data.
- Expand opportunities for existing staff to develop cybersecurity knowledge and improve their skills through accredited training programs, certifications, job shadowing, rotations and more.
- Ensure employees receive the appropriate training relevant to their new job duties and transition employees to their new role or department with approval.
- We partner with reputable niche recruiters to attract cybersecurity talent, whether you’re looking for a full-time position or a temporary contract placement to augment your team.
Related: Cyber risks as a growing commercial health threat
Monitor your team’s cyber awareness
The above guidance only scratches the surface when it comes to cyber security in your organization. Cyber security is a shared function and responsibility that requires individual and collective action and awareness, with collaboration and communication firmly at its core.
By embracing this advice, HR leaders can play a key role in closing the lingering cybersecurity skills gap and fostering a consistent culture of improved cyber hygiene across their organizations. By prioritizing these strategies, HR can strengthen its role as a critical, multifaceted department that goes beyond simply recruiting and delivering the best cybersecurity talent. Benefits that boost employee moraleWhile both of the latter are important, an organization’s HR team can also establish itself as a key asset in improving cyber resilience.
Organizations that proactively make security a shared priority and back up that value with decisive, meaningful action will be best positioned to protect against cyber threats.