How can you attract the best talent for your cyber operations team?

It comes down to culture . - Culture of respect -Culture of learning -Culture of empathy Cybersecurity is a tough job. It is a high stress environment, where teams are solving problems that are mission critical and company sensitive. Having a nurturing environment, where teams motivate each other, and setting that as a north star leads to better business outcomes.

Vision is important to any organization, but in cyber ops, it's critical. The world of cybersecurity is growing rapidly. There are certifications and courses for every attack and mitigation technique. Which is great, but it is flooding the space. Through vision creation, leadership can narrow down exactly what your team will be focusing on and then the team can be built around that vision. What type of culture do you want to create? Do you want seasoned cyber professionals or earlier in career folks? Creating a vision will answer all of those questions. Start with the problem you want to solve, craft your vision around that, and then hire accordingly.

Security leaders need to build their cyber strategy on the pillar on their people strategy. These two go hand-in-hand. As you are outlining the goals and vision for your cyber org, you need to also be thinking about whether you have the right people in place to achieve that and what it will take to attract them, if not. Strong tealent will want to understand where you are at in your cyber maturity journey, the level of commitment from leadership, and how your cyber strategy impacts the business. Making sure there is an alignment between your cyber strategy and your people strategy is key in supporting the business strategy effectively.

I totally agree that having a clear cyber vision is essential. But in my experience, it all boils down to trust. We can have all the tech in the world, but if there’s no trust, we're building on shaky ground. Being in cybersecurity, there’s mix of excitement and, let’s be honest, a bit of loneliness too. We spend hours with machines, codes, and alerts. It can feel isolating, but then there’s this underlying connection with others in the same boat. Despite the solitude, there’s a silent bond b/w us. We're not just dealing with codes we’re human beings making decisions that impact real lives. Every alert we respond to, every threat we mitigate, is rooted in a shared trust.

By defining a compelling cyber vision that addresses these aspects, you can attract top talent who share your commitment to cybersecurity excellence and who are motivated by the opportunity to contribute to your organization's cyber success.

A clear cyber vision is paramount for any organization looking to onboard top talent. It reflects the organization's commitment to security. It signifies a forward-thinking approach that resonates with potential candidates. Aligning cyber strategy with business goals ensures that cybersecurity isn't an afterthought but an integral part of the organization's growth. By showcasing metrics and impact, you're also promoting transparency and accountability. As we enter an era where cyber threats are ever-evolving, a solid vision will undoubtedly set the foundation for attracting and retaining the best in the field.

Cyber Sec is connected to revenue generation! Your vision, goals, and values must connect to the company's core business. With time and stakeholder support, this reinforces the culture. You should monitor your maturity development and make sure ideas are heard. There is always something we can do better.

Clear Career Pathways: Show potential hires a clear roadmap for career progression within your organization.This could include mentorship programs, rotational assignments, and opportunities for cross-training in different cyber domains. Challenging Projects:The best talents often seek challenges. Ensure that your team is involved in stimulating projects that push boundaries and require innovation. Diverse & Inclusive Environment: Cultivate a workplace that values diversity and inclusion. Diverse teams tend to be more innovative and can offer varied perspectives, which is crucial in cybersecurity. Feedback & Open Communication:When employees feel their opinions are valued, they're more likely to be satisfied and remain with the organization.

To attract top talent, it's essential to provide competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits that exceed market standards for cybersecurity professionals.

Compensation and benefits play a pivotal role in attracting top-tier talent. In an industry as competitive as cybersecurity, where the demand for skilled professionals often outpaces the supply, offering an attractive package is non-negotiable. Beyond just the numbers, recognizing and rewarding excellence demonstrates a company's commitment to its employees' growth and achievements. Furthermore, comprehensive benefits—health, education, and career development—signal a holistic approach to employee well-being. In an era where work-life balance and continuous learning are paramount, organizations prioritizing monetary and non-monetary incentives will undoubtedly be the top choices for the best in the business.

The truth to this is that having a good package will make a difference. You need to be a business that people want to work for and can see how they can make a difference. This goes beyond just offering a good package as most people who are not satisfied in a role won't make it past 2 years, and to be successful in growing a cyberteam, you need to be holding onto people for 5 years and developing them.

Couldn't agree more. Cybersecurity is an arms race between the good and bad actors on cyberspace. The incentives for cybersecurity professionals should be aligned to the high skill that is required to thwart business critical attacks that they prevent on a day to day basis.

Align your company strategy and current financial situation to proper running costs is a must, but try your best to provide proper compensation and health care. People with family - especially kids at home, care about this deeply. Proper recognition will for sure retain your talented crew members. Create people/team metrics and relate them to their bonus and career progression.

To attract the best talent, you need to offer best-in-class compensation & benefits packages. This is not a one-size-fits-all since what appeals to one person will not appeal to all. But the data doesn't lie -- cyber roles will generally require a 10% higher salary than traditional IT roles on average. And you can't always rely on salary data reports as they are typically outdated by the time they are published. Understand from your team what is important to them -- is it flexibility? Bonus potential? Equity? Vacation? There are tons of levers you can pull to attract the right folks to your team so don't be afraid to get creative to set yourself apart.

Providing challenging and meaningful work should be the top priority in attracting top talent in cybersecurity. Consider how you breakdown work effort and pair employees to ensure there are opportunities for all to be challenged.

One of the best ways to attract and retain Cybersecurity talent is not only with challenging work, but also a clear mission where they can see the impact their work is having. But let's be real, the same can be said for pretty much any job role - meaningful and challenging work fosters engagement. Engaged employees are happier and stay with a position longer.

Beyond compensation, the essence of the work remains a critical factor for cybersecurity professionals. These individuals are driven by the allure of challenging tasks and the opportunity to innovate. Organizations can tap into this intrinsic motivation by offering meaningful projects that align with their skills and aspirations. Autonomy in their roles fosters creativity and ownership, while regular feedback provides direction and validation. The balance between autonomy and support cultivates a nurturing environment where professionals can thrive and feel valued. As the cyber landscape constantly evolves, organizations prioritizing continuous learning and skill development can undoubtedly retain and attract the industry's brightest minds.

One thing about cybersecurity: It is a constantly evolving field. Every day a new tool, tactic or procedure is released on a new threat, compromising a new software/tool/technology stack. No day is the same and that environment actually fortifies ambition for cybersecurity professionals to always remain on the bleeding edge of cyber knowledge.

Offering continuous learning and growth opportunities is key. Cyber professionals are motivated by competitive salaries and opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills. Providing access to training, certifications, and exposure to cutting-edge technologies can go a long way in keeping your cyber operations team engaged. A collaborative and inclusive workplace culture can also enhance team morale and productivity, making your organization more attractive to top cybersecurity talent.

Reward your team innovators; they bring new excitement to the court, and their creativity must be appropriately recognized. Constant feedback and an open-minded environment where ideas - look for Design Thinking - are welcomed.

Culture is often an overlooked part of hiring strategy. Collaboration/teamwork as a core value for cybersecurity teams, is step one to creating a culture that will make people want to join the team and more importantly, want to stay a part of the team.

To attract the best talent, cultivating a collaborative and inclusive culture that values diversity and teamwork is essential in the dynamic and multidisciplinary field of cybersecurity.

The only way a team can be effective is with collaboration, both within the security team as well as between the security team and other teams in the org. Business networks are so diverse and complex that it is impossible for anyone on a team to know or be able to do everything so it is important that team members feel they are able to give input and their input is valued. Every single person I have met in security has traveled a different path which leads to different perspectives and it is important to make sure all of those unique perspectives can be heard.

In the multifaceted realm of cybersecurity, collaboration, and diversity aren't just buzzwords—they're essentials. A diverse team brings various perspectives, leading to innovative solutions and holistic approaches. By championing inclusivity, organizations amplify the variety of thought and ensure that every member feels valued and heard. An environment that promotes open communication and teamwork not only boosts efficiency but also fosters a sense of camaraderie. In a field where challenges are constant and solutions require collective insight, a culture emphasizing collaboration and diversity is beneficial and imperative.

Think outside of the box and offer training to employees who may not have all of the skills needed but are trainable. Cross training has worked for many.

Could you give your team clear paths to talk, report, and share ideas? Each human is a unique and complex universe; make sure they are heard and give them the tools to execute their ideas. Issues will happen; I trust you'll find and fix the root cause. Diversity brings the perfect mix of background, ideas, and experience that can improve your team.

If you want to attract top talent for your cyber operations team, make it clear how joining your organization will position an applicant to attend a top-rated industry security conference, attend a training bootcamp for a job-related certification, or give them an internal opportunity to polish their cyber skills in areas outside of their normal job role. The top-rated cyber operations talent are those individuals who are committed to life-long learning and continually perfecting their craft. Proven results of training & development investment in current or past employees at an organization will go a long way to attracting the best future cyber operations talent.

I don't believe that investment in existing personnel should be the 5th step, there really aren't enough qualified resources available to have them chasing and bouncing around for each new salary bump. There used to be apprenticeships, training, certification, and in general development programs with companies. Not sure why that's changed, but it needs to start again to build our new, updated, informed & capable IT/OT cybersecurity force of the, hopefully, near future. Any Training, HR, Product Dev. Mgr., CIO, CISO, or Engineering Mgr. interested in learning more about how to start an IT/OT cross-training program, direct msg. me. Best wishes in making informed & wise decisions about enhancing your company's existing, valuable resources.

In the rapidly evolving world of cybersecurity, continuous learning isn't a luxury—it's a necessity. By investing in regular training and development, organizations enhance their defense capabilities and signify a commitment to their team's professional growth. Certifications and memberships often serve as benchmarks of expertise, and by supporting these endeavors, companies can ensure their teams remain at the forefront of industry advancements. Furthermore, fostering networking opportunities can amplify collective knowledge and introduce innovative methodologies. In a domain where staying updated can mean the difference between security and vulnerability, prioritizing continuous learning is paramount.

Agree with Tom. This is actually foundational to successful teams. In a rapidly evolving space, staying on top of the latest and greatest in the world of cybersecurity is fundamental to drive success of employees working in this field.

In Cyber security, if we don't train, we are faded to be outrun by: - Criminals - Competition - Technology You could be on a tight budget but still have many affordable and excellent options online. Do internal training; your senior members have good stuff to share. With training, your team can be prepared to respond to incidents, and they will get frustrated.

Attracting top talent requires promoting a positive employer brand that highlights your cybersecurity team's achievements and reputation, leveraging social media, websites, and events to showcase your culture and vision within the cyber community.

YES! The cybersecurity field is flooded with choices. In order to attract the best talent, you have to go beyond pay. You have to create a culture in which people want to work. Your company brand must attract the best if you want to be the best and this goes beyond how much you pay your people. Yes, that's part of it, but what will make them want to stay with your company for 25 years?

The brand of the employer is set by the leadership of the cybersecurity team. People leave leaders not companies. It is important to have that culture, vision, mission set at the top, that transcends into hiring decisions, and eventually making it an attractive place to solicit key talent.

Could you ensure your team feels safe sharing their ideas and feedback about the company? Participate in cybersecurity events. Your team will feel great connecting with peers, competing, and receiving rewards. This also boosts your company's sales/marketing strategy and will support bringing other talented individuals on board.

I've found that many times non-traditional hires, career changers, those with the passion for learning and new ideas, make better hires than experienced professionals. Don't hire rockstars, create your own.

Your role must speak to the person’s “why”. Attempting to out someone who doesn’t love security operations, or doesn’t have that natural leaning, is going to end up frustrated. Ask them why they want to do, get their idea of a dream job, if money weren’t the object, and you’ll get a better understanding of what motivates someone. You attract top talent by giving them the opportunity to do something they thoroughly enjoy.

Attracting great professionals is not easy, but it is just the starting point. Once you have your dream team built, you have to keep them. 🙌🏼 With the current competition for talented people, it is crucial to have a proper career plan established. Financial compensation 💰 can and should be associated with performance, but non-financial rewards are also an excellent incentive to retain people.🎁 Having a leadership that cares and fosters their teams is also crucial. Nothing is as negatively impactful as poor leadership, which has significant consequences from burnout to low morale and eventually to people leaving the organization. 🚶🏽🚶🏽🚶🏽🏢 Attract your talent, but do the work to keep them!

To attract top talent for your cyber operations team, use AI-driven tools in the recruitment process. AI can help identify and assess candidates with the right skills and aptitude for cybersecurity roles more efficiently. For example, implement AI-powered applicant tracking systems that can analyze resumes and identify candidates with relevant cybersecurity certifications, experience and skills. In addition, use AI-driven pre-employment assessments to evaluate candidates' technical abilities and problem-solving skills. This streamlines the hiring process and also ensures that you're selecting candidates who are well-suited for your cyber operations team, contributing to its effectiveness and long-term success.

Solve conflicts before it gets worse. Find time to hear their worries and fears and celebrate their highs, be there for their lows. Be human, let machines do the hard work. Good luck with your mission! Bonus: Good coffee is a must!