Essay Example. Solving the Cybersecurity Workforce Crisis

Cybersecurity is the method used for protecting data, electronic systems, servers, computers, mobile devices, and networks from being attacked, hacked, or accessed by unknown or unwanted people. The approach helps to protect different necessary aspects of government and organizations such as control, authenticity, confidentiality, integrity, utility, possession, and availability. In today's world, cybersecurity issues have increased as a result of the development of technologies and automation at all levels, such as devices, individuals, networks, and even at homes. As a result of technological development, people are now able to operate and manage almost everything through the use of technology that is connected to their mobile phone applications, for example, autonomous and computer-assisted vehicles, controlling the front door using technology. Therefore, as much as such platforms ease the way things are done, they also create increased opportunities for attackers and hackers to take control. Cybersecurity is essential since it protects the government's sensitive information, financial data, and personal information, in which if it falls on the hands, is exposed to or accessed by unauthorized people, it could result in undesirable consequences. The Department of homeland security (DHS) is working with the state governments and private industries to maintain and develop approaches to deal with the problem of cyber-attacks, and an internationally competitive cyber labor force. Despite the government's efforts to control the global cyber threat, the issue continues to progress at a quick pace with an increasing amount of data breaches every year. As cyber threats continue to increase, the government faces the challenges of recruiting skilled cybersecurity professionals capable of protecting their systems against the risk of being accessed by hackers. The problem of cyber-attacks has increased within the government and businesses due to the lack of ability to properly implement data-sharing systems that protect private information and data from being accessed or hacked by unauthorized persons. Also, cyber-attacks have continued to increase within the government's policies since the government lacks enough funds to support cybersecurity initiatives. The government also lacks cybersecurity control and visibility, and the necessity to act following the increasing range of guidelines and strategies.

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Challenges in Hiring Trained and Qualified Cybersecurity Workforce

As cyber security increases in today's world, the government is experiencing difficulties of finding and employing enough trained and skilled cybersecurity workforce that can deal with the issue in the state agencies and offices. The cybersecurity workforce scarcity in government agencies and offices can be attributed to the state governments having problems in appointing, employing, adequately training, and retaining experienced workforce in the cybersecurity department (Bergal, 2015). These reasons are primarily related to technology and people. One of the reasons why states are experiencing challenges in hiring enough capable and educated cybersecurity labor force for positions in state offices and agencies is that the states are being affected by the fast-developing technology, and therefore need to improve their cybersecurity capabilities. The second reason is the high demand for cybersecurity experts that have been created by the demand for cybersecurity experts to help the states with cybersecurity issues, making the cyber talent shortage. The demand for cybersecurity professions has increased, with the government and organizations needing people who are qualified and skilled to help protect the states from cybersecurity incidents and threats. Another reason why it is hard for the state governments to find trained and skilled cybersecurity workforces is that their pay and compensation for cybersecurity work is below the level needed to attract the necessary talent (Summers, 2010). The state governments also fail to allocate and provide enough resources and training to the cybersecurity workforce. Therefore, the government should modify hoe=w they plan for their cybersecurity workforce so that they can get trained and skilled to work in the state offices and agencies. However, the department of homeland security is determined to strengthen the employees to ensure that the state governments have skilled cybersecurity workers.

Non-cybersecurity Workforce Shortage that Affects State Governments

Different non-cybersecurity reasons affect the reason why state governments experience challenges when trying to hire trained and experienced cybersecurity workforce in their offices and agencies. The state governments are still stuck with the idea that the development of technology mainly influences cybersecurity. At the same time, different organizations have realized that the problem of cybersecurity is not only influence by fast-developing technology. And as a result, the way the government agencies exchange information may result in cyber-attacks (Loeb, 2015). Another reason why the government lacks enough employees to hire in their agencies and offices is that the government does not value cybersecurity experts; they are paid very little and are provided with little or no tools to deal with the cyber threats and risks. The budget of the IT and cybersecurity agencies that are allocated by the United States of America is 5% less as compared to other commercial enterprises (Gallagher, 2013). Also, the government takes long to approve and implement changes that are long-lasting even on minor projects of technology and implement the current technologies on their government's systems, which also slows the rate at which employees take to adapt to the technology.

Recommendations

The state governments play a significant role in controlling, managing, and preventing cybersecurity and discovering and improve talent network, not only in terms of forming programs and policies to help deal with the problem of workforce shortage but also in terms of needing cybersecurity talent to safeguard public data and systems. For the state government to develop and attract a safer and more secure cybersecurity workforce with enough employees, the required training, skills, knowledge, and capabilities, they will need to improve different strategies in their cybersecurity agencies and offices such as a cybersecurity staff that has the expertise and competency in their career, better approaches and tools to identify and assess threats, improved techniques and tools that increase the productivity and efficiency of cybersecurity employees, better, increase their incentives to encourage and motivate the placement of improved cybersecurity practices and expertise such as free housing and training to the employees, and improve the end-user performances through training; and industry, organizational, global, and state methods to prevent cybersecurity actions. For example, the government has developed a national initiative for cybersecurity careers and studies (NICCS) and Department of homeland security, which are in charge of ensuring that the government employs trained and skilled employees to deal with the problem of cybersecurity (Dourado & Castillo, 2015). For the state government to meet the cybersecurity workforce gap, they can train their employees rather than looking for new workers from outside the government offices. Workers in these jobs can be trained or moved over from similar roles with additional training, which will help the state governments to expand a more potential pool of aptitude and increase cybersecurity staff for skilled and trained cybersecurity personnel. Also, the state governments have introduced cybersecurity-focused programs in various colleges to attract cybersecurity talents and help keep up with the increased demand for cybersecurity workforces (Zukin, Lopez, Kaya, & Smallwood, 2015). Different students have enrolled in colleges that are offering cybersecurity programs in various colleges in the United States to gain more knowledge and skill on how to prevent cybersecurity issues, especially now that the cybersecurity threats are evolving too fast due to development of technologies. For the government to overcome the problem of shortage of cybersecurity employees, they will need to implement innovative talent strategies that are supported by reliable principles and underlying technology and human infrastructure. Also, to attract cyber talents, the government should educate and train employees from the bottom to top on the need for cyber-awareness to prevent cases of cybersecurity incidences, and to reduce cybersecurity workforce shortage. Finally, for the state governments to get the right persons for the position, they should not regulate the requirement for hiring, they should be open to people who are experienced but do not have the credentials. Also, they may consider hiring those people who were once involved in cybersecurity issues and had hacked systems before since they may have the know-how to avoid such cases and try to hire "diverse" cybersecurity aptitude, comprising of minorities and women.

Conclusion

Cybersecurity is the process used by the government and different institutions to prevent data and private information from leaking to the wrong or unauthorized people. It can be challenging for the government to get qualified and skilled workforces that can help prevent, control, and manage their data from being accessed by unauthorized persons. However, there are different measures that the government can take to reduce the shortage of trained and qualified cybersecurity employees, such as better pay and training and educating new or existing workforce. Managing cyber risks and the security of network servers, and systems need the knowledge and skills which is gained through education, training, and experience

References

Bergal, J. (2015, May 11). Hiring Cybersecurity Staff Is Hard for States-stateline. Retrieved from: April 13, 2017, from http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2015/5/11/hiring-cybersecurity-staff-is-hard-for-states

Dourado, E., & Castillo, A. (2015, June). "Information Sharing": No Panacea for American Cybersecurity Challenges. Retrieved from: Mercatus Center, George Mason University: http://mercatus.org/sites/default/files/Dourado-Information-Sharing-Cybersecurity-MOP.pdf

Gallagher, S. (2013). Why US Government IT Fails so Hard, so Often. Retrieved from: http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/10/why-us-government-it-fails-so-hard-so-often/ Government lacks strategy for cybersecurity workforce -- FederalSoup.com. (2015, April 14). Retrieved July 03, 2016, from https://federalsoup.com/articles/2015/04/14/

Government-lacks-strategy-for-cybersecurity--workforce.aspx Lipman, P. (2015). 4 Critical Challenges to State and Local Government Cybersecurity Efforts(Industry Perspective). Retrieved from: http://www.govtech.com/opinion/4-Critical-Challenges-to-State-and-Local-Government-Cybersecurity-Efforts.html

Loeb, M. (2015). Cybersecurity Talent: Worse than a Skills Shortage, it's a Critical Gap. Retrieved July 03, 2016, from http: //thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/technology/239113-cybersecurity-talent-worse-than-a-skills-shortage-its-a

Summers, A. (2010). Comparing Private Sector and Government Worker Salaries. The Reason Foundation. Available from: http://reason. org/news/show/public-sector-privatesector-salary.

Zukin, L., Lopez J., Kaya, E., Smallwood, A. (2015). Getting in Front of the Cybersecurity Talent Crisis. Retrieved from: BoozAllenHamilton: https://www.boozallen.com/content/dam/boozallen/documents/Viewpoints/2015/07/getting-i...