Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cloud
    • Cloud
    • Cybersecurity

    Avoiding Cybersecurity Staff Burnout: Keeping Employees Productive and Engaged

    If companies don't do the hard work of meaningful investment in cybersecurity staff development, retention will continue to be an issue.

    By
    eWEEK EDITORS
    -
    January 6, 2022
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      cloud-based productivity

      Cloud security professionals are already in short supply. Combine that with alert fatigue, a surge in demand, and the “always-on” nature of the modern workplace, and it is clear why employee burnout is increasing.

      In 2019, Gartner projected that the cloud market would grow to $355B by 2022. Reaching that level depends on the development and advancement of cloud-native security solutions, which puts tremendous pressure on cybersecurity organizations and the employees developing them.

      Understaffed Security Operation Centers (SOCs) eventually reach a breaking point, which typically leads to additional exits or oversight – and can lead to costly breaches.

      These factors create a negative feedback loop within SOCs. Workloads increase for those who stay on, and the quality of work suffers, which yields further burnout and resignations and the increased potential for more customer breaches. 

       So, how does a cybersecurity organization get out of this negative feedback loop?

      6 Ways to Avoid Cyber Burnout

      Strong Security Leadership

      As a security leader, particularly those who oversee Infosec teams and functions, you have a fiduciary duty to fight internal battles and deliver a message that resonates with internal stakeholders. You must persuade employees to think long-term and understand the consequences of slowed productivity or inadequate quality of work.

      Many security professionals have achieved recognized technical expertise, but the leader of the security group must also be able to effectively communicate the risk the current security staffing level poses to the organization. They must ensure that this risk is within the risk tolerance of the company.

      Addressing these problems might require building relationships outside the technical groups because, ultimately, securing additional resources means the company may not fund something else. This also might require focus on other skills such as communication. It’s easy to de-prioritize these soft skills when the technical skill might be more fulfilling.

      Effective Hiring and Mentoring

      Leaders should focus on effective hiring and mentoring. Some security teams have a haphazard approach to hiring, but to attract and retain the necessary talent, leaders must inhabit the role of a manager entirely. If the transition from being a “doer” to a hiring manager is not complete, teams may suffer because leaders select the wrong person or don’t satisfy a new employee’s particular aspirations, which results in the new hire not being fully productive. 

      Many security teams are small and because of this, there may be less focus on being an effective hiring manager and an effective manager overall – the technical demands are simply too pressing. 

      Treat talent acquisition as a team sport. Everyone on a security team should know about skill and resource gaps and tap their networks for the best possible hires.

      Prioritize Ability

      Hiring managers, talent acquisition, and people operations professionals should actively make tradeoffs wherever possible. Ability can—and should—trump pedigree and years of experience.

      Open your criteria and seek talent that can demonstrate results versus the ideal education, previous employment, or years of experience. This strategy widens the candidate pool and levels the playing field for candidates from all walks of life who are passionate about cloud security and want to make it their life’s work.

      Enable Great Work

      Enable the best work possible from your staff. Hiring new cybersecurity and cloud computing professionals is just the beginning. It is critical to have clear deliverables and a metric-based understanding of what success looks like for a SOC role during the onboarding phase.

      Communicate this to the new hire and the incumbent team. After all, the team cannot help a new hire succeed—and improve their own circumstances—if the goalposts are always moving.

      Support Continued Learning

      CISOs and people operations professionals should encourage and build into the employee guidelines an infrastructure that supports continued learning and development. Cloud security evolves daily, and skill stagnation could be the poison pill that kills a team’s productivity and effectiveness.

      Consider Vendors or Partners

      Security teams are inclined to action and, therefore, have a tendency to build a feature that solves a problem on their own. That’s because it’s often easier (and faster) to tackle the problem rather than to buy a product or a service.

      But by accepting help from a vendor or partner, leaders can become comfortable evaluating a product or service, negotiating the right terms, and then effectively monitoring the deployment of the product or service. This frees up time for teams to focus on other projects and avoid burnout.

      Conclusion: Be Willing to Invest

      Invest in your team and you will reap the rewards. Perks like lunches or gym memberships are great, but if companies don’t do the hard work of meaningful investment in employee development, retention will continue to be an issue. Free burritos will never make up for an employee who feels that their job satisfaction and career development are stagnant or, worse, in jeopardy.

      Also see: Digital Transformation Guide: Definition, Types, and Strategy

      About the Author: 

      Ani Soghomonyan, Head of People & Talent, Britive

      eWEEK EDITORS
      eWeek editors publish top thought leaders and leading experts in emerging technology across a wide variety of Enterprise B2B sectors. Our focus is providing actionable information for today’s technology decision makers.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×