As the Obama administration works to shore up cyber-security, a new report found the government needs new ways to attract the right talent for the job. The report, prepared by Partnership for Public Service and a consulting firm, urged for Congress to be pushed to expand programs for training fresh talent.The
U.S. government needs to do more than buy technology to improve
cyber-security it needs to hire more experts, according to a new
report.
The report was prepared by the non-profit Partnership for Public Service and consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton and paints a picture of the governments cyber-security efforts
as dysfunctional, where a lack of coordination and fragmented
governance hinders the ability to meet federal cyber-security work force
needs.
Among other things, the report found in a survey of 18 federal agencies
that only 40 percent of CIOs, CISOs and IT hiring managers are
satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of applicants for federal
cyber-security jobs. The report also found a disconnect between
front-line hiring managers and governments HR specialists.
Our surveys reveal that front-line managers are consistently less
satisfied with the effort to hire new cyber-security talent than their
peers in HR, according to the report. In addition, 41 percent of the
CIOs/CISOs and 38 percent of HR managers reported being either
dissatisfied or very dissatisfied at the level of collaboration with
the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which should provide vital
support for agencies looking to acquire skilled cyber-security
workers.
The report signals the Obama administration may have a tough road ahead as it looks to shore up the nations cyber-defenses.
Protecting this
infrastructure will be a national security priority, President Obama
said at a press conference in May. We will ensure that these networks
are secure, trustworthy and resilient.
To address some
of the issues facing the administration, the reports authors urge a
dedicated, high-level team within the U.S. Office of Personnel
Management be created to identify top cyber-security talent and help
bring them aboard. It also recommends training programs be developed to
prepare a state-of-the-art federal cyber-security work force and that
members of Congress be encouraged to expand and fund programs aimed at
training graduate and undergraduate students in cyber-security.
According to the
report, the government runs a successful scholarship program to fill
about 120 entry-level cyber-security jobs with recent grads, but the
need is much greater closer to 1,000 graduates a year.
President Obama
has declared cyber-security to be one of the most serious economic and
national security challenges we face as a nation and has pledged to
address these threats, said Max Stier, president and
CEO of
the Partnership for Public Service, in a statement. The only way to
get it done is to build a vibrant, highly trained and dedicated federal
cyber-security work force.
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Why should not CIOs , CISOs and IT hiring managers in government(s) be unhappy about digital-security?
Perhaps, it takes too long. It... Posted At: 07-29-09 By: J | | | | | | A user comment on this articleI graduated with my Masters Degree with a minor in InfoSec. My current employer (local government agency) would rather play politics.
The CIO has... Posted At: 07-29-09 By: Anonymous | | | | | | The Model is BrokenWhenever anyone asks, "How can we stop the bleeding", all people can come up with is "more of what's not working now" !
By heaping on additional... Posted At: 07-28-09 By: Rob Lewis | | | | | | Entry Level is the Solution?I don't think the solution to: "needs to hire more experts", is: "fill about 120 entry-level cyber-security jobs with recent grads". The G might... Posted At: 07-24-09 By: Todd | | | | | | A user comment on this articleAs this article states, technology alone is not the answer to securing our critical infrastructure. While firewalls, anti-spam, anti-virus and... Posted At: 07-23-09 By: Angelo Comazzetto | | | | | | A user comment on this articleThe only way this will ever happen is if the Government realizes that the Old Guard dress code along with fixed working hours needs to be changed. ... Posted At: 07-23-09 By: Anonymous | | | | | | boobytrapJust configure boobytrap computers[server] to catch those...Let them go in and monitor activities from them,something like a passive computer with... Posted At: 07-22-09 By: Anonymous | | | | | | >>> Post your comment now! | | | | | |
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