IT security teams include a CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) and other senior and junior level IT security professionals. Furthermore, when building your IT security team, it is essential to think about assembling a group of professionals who have diverse experience in all areas of IT security.

Skills Your New IT Security Team Should Bring to the Table   

IT Security is a broad discipline with multiple and varied components that complement each other. While there are many unique and niche IT security skills out there, a company can build a successful IT security team with a core group of primary IT security skills.

Just the Basics: The Core IT Security Skills

Security Architecture

Security architecture is one of the foundations of a good IT security program. A security architect must know how enterprise networks are built and function. They must be able to design security controls and gateways to protect sensitive data. A good security architect should also know a wide array of security tools and how to use them effectively.

Vulnerability Management

With most network breaches stemming from unpatched systems, having someone in charge of managing vulnerabilities and patching strategies is essential. A good vulnerability manager will have expert level knowledge about vulnerabilities as well as strong business risk acumen. They will know that not all vulnerabilities are equal and will be able to define a risk-based approach to remediation that considers the business impact.

Security Operations: The CISO and Security Operations Personnel 

Security operations is a critical component of any IT security program. A CISO must know what is going on in their networks. They must also be able to identify abnormal behavior that may be indicative of an intruder. Security operations personnel should know the signs of an attack. They should also be able to develop alerting and response procedures to counteract this activity. Security operations professionals should also have a basic incident response capability such as log collection and correlation and basic forensics analysis.

Nice to Haves: Penetration Testing and Incident Response

While essential to an IT security program, penetration testing and incident response are areas that don’t need to be in-house. While the first three critical components (security architecture, vulnerability management, and security operations) are full-time, year-round operations, penetration testing and incident response are typically point-in-time activities that (hopefully) don’t take place more than a few times a year.

Moving Forward

IT security is an integral part of running a business today. By building a well-rounded IT security team, you can enhance your current security posture and prevent future incidents.

In today’s environment, it can be very difficult to hire IT security professionals as they are in high demand. In the IT security world, there is negative unemployment with more jobs available than there are IT security professionals to fill them. It is projected that in 2019 there will be 1.5 million IT security job openings. Given this challenging hiring market, it’s best to consult a professional recruiter. At Open Systems, we are experts in the recruitment of IT security professionals. Contact us today to learn more!

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Question 1: What is your current security infrastructure? 

In many recent headline-generating attacks (Sony for example), it was reported that hackers were inside of these networks undetected for weeks and months. While common, this scope of infiltration can be limited through the use of effective security tools and monitoring. Finding hackers as soon as they breach your network allows damage to be minimized.

Question 2: Have you had an independent, 3^rd party penetration test done?

Conducting independent, 3^rd party penetration test (pen test)  can be a real eye-opener. These tests allow organizations to see where their vulnerabilities are and address them (hopefully) before hackers can exploit them.

Question 3: Do you have a diverse and well-trained Info Sec Team?

One of the best ways to prepare for cyber attack is to make sure that you have a good in-house team to address Information Security. If an in-house team isn’t in the budget, it’s best to have qualified managed service providers or security consultants on retainer. Having the assistance of experts is vital in the development of security and incident response plans, and you’ll need someone to reach out to in the event of a confirmed breach.

Question 4: Are you looking at third-party risk?

Third party risk is becoming a huge part of an organization’s security program. Corporations both large and small are investing heavily in this new area of information security. Though even if you have a gold star security program, that doesn’t mean that your third-party partners do. Ensuring that all corporate partners and subcontractors who have access to your data or your network are engaging in good security practices is crucial.

Question 5: Do you have an incident response plan in place if hackers do get in?

History has shown that a well-motivated attacker can always get in. Making sure that you have a process in place to identify, remediate, and learn from an attack is key to preventing future attacks. This plan should include contacts for both state and federal law enforcement should your organization find itself the victim of ransomware or theft of sensitive customer information (personal data or financial information) or intellectual property.

Question 6: Do you make employees participate in yearly information security training?

Many of the largest hacks in recent news cycles have been as a result of successful phishing attacks. Training employees to identify potential social engineering or phishing efforts is crucial to prevent attacks. Making sure that employees receive yearly training which covers the most up to date information is vital. They are your first line of defense in the great cyber battle.

Moving Forward

To help ensure that your organization has the best defense to cyber attack, it’s best to contact a professional solutions provider. They can assist you with safeguarding your data and networks from the menacing hands of hackers.

 

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AI for Business Analytics

Data is necessary to develop business strategy. In this pursuit, AI focuses on giving machines access to data and letting them learn for themselves. The Harvard Business Journal shared an example of AI and business analytics by using algorithms and machine learning. Company and customer information was used to select successful sales phrasing. This then allowed for the creation of a new sales strategy.

AI for HR

In 2017, Inc. magazine published an article regarding the ways that AI is changing HR functions. Benefits included reducing human bias and increasing efficiency. AI also allowed for insight in assessments. Finally, AI also improved relationships with employees. Specifically, by utilizing AI in dealing with existing employees through automated email and instant messaging which reduced the workload of stressed HR departments.

AI in IT

Artificial Intelligence is transforming IT operations in many ways. Cybersecurity was one of the first areas to take advantage of developments in AI, using it to develop models to detect abnormal activity and malware. AI is now used to optimize network configurations based on traffic flow patterns. AI can also automatically detect data types based on similar models. As AI becomes more powerful and prevalent, it will be able to drive further improvements in IT, thus reducing spending and improving performance.

Looking Toward the Future

Looking toward the future, heavy hitters like Amazon, Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Facebook are all on board with using AI. These business leaders have even formed a partnership to collaborate on this important issue. Regarding the financial impact, Goldman Sachs expects “AI to create hundreds of billions of dollars in cost savings and new opportunities over the next decade.”

So how does an organization apply AI into their infrastructure? It’s best to consult a solutions provider to assess the areas in your organization that could benefit the most from AI.

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