Human Resources (HR) professionals are essential in many ways to organizations. One unexpected way that HR is becoming increasingly valuable to companies is by playing a crucial role in reducing cybersecurity risks for businesses.
Cyber attacks are one of the biggest financial and reputational threats to businesses today, and impacts will continue to grow as attacks become more sophisticated and widespread. Recent research found that up to two-thirds of cyber breaches are caused or enabled by employee negligence or malfeasance, indicating that HR's role is crucial in an enterprise's cyber defense landscape.
Hiring professionals, including recruiters, have the unique ability to ensure that all new employees have the requisite cyber skills for the role they're hired for. Increasingly, HR departments at the most-recognized American brands ask prospective candidates to have GIAC certifications validating specific job roles in cybersecurity.
Cyber risk can be mitigated with smart recruiting
Cyber risk has serious financial implications for American enterprises. The U.S. Council of Economic Advisors reported that malicious cyber activity cost the U.S. economy as much as $109 billion in 2016 and that number continues to grow. Cyber losses are catastrophic for impacted businesses. With a possibility of as many as 1.5 million unfulfilled cybersecurity positions this year and the majority of breaches actually occurring in large part due to a company's own workforce, it is now more important than ever for HR's involvement in cybersecurity.
HR teams working in conjunction with cybersecurity and information technology departments are the gatekeepers of prospective cyber security professionals.
To best contribute to organizational preparedness, HR professionals must be aware of the key differentiators among cyber security training and certification credentials. This is especially imperative for the hiring of new employees. Cyber security training and certification should be a central component of the hiring process, and should extend to the on-boarding process as well. The hiring of new employees with knowledge in issues pertaining to the access and use of confidential data, alongside security training that would enable them to recognize risks associated with their position is an important piece of cyber defense. Hiring professionals are integral to recruiting, hiring, and retaining individuals with highly specialized expertise needed to secure an organization's critical information assets, and mitigate and remediate vulnerabilities and attacks.
When the cyber threat is real, it pays to be GIAC certified
An organization's HR team can improve their recruiting process by gaining an in-depth understanding of:
- the cyber security requirements of their organization,
- the difference between cyber security roles,
- utilizing accurate job descriptions,
- and identifying the right talent.
HR professionals should be prepared to hire individuals with specialized expertise and recruit practitioners who have distinguished themselves among cyber security professionals by obtaining GIAC cyber security certifications.
With the number of unfulfilled cybersecurity positions continuing to climb as the number of cyber attacks increase, the HR professional's ability to identify, recruit, hire, and retain appropriate staff for their organization's needs will continue to be increasingly important. Practitioners with GIAC cyber security certifications are highly marketable in a competitive market. To ensure retention, HR professionals should structure compensation packages thoughtfully, making sure to include opportunities for continued education and training.
Be cyber-ready on day one in 2019. Hire the right people with the right credentials for each role on your team.