Is the coronavirus creating a cure for something? Now that's a headline you don't see everyday.
But according to Josh Higgins, Senior Director of Policy and Communications at the Internet Security Alliance (ISA), COVID-19 could be a real help where the cybersecurity talent gap is concerned.
With the world more focused on remote work than ever, good cybersecurity is also more important than ever.
COVID-19 is certainly posing many new challenges, but could it also help close the cybersecurity talent gap at your organization?
Higgins thinks so:
"In conversations with state chief information officers and other state and local officials this week, even the most telework-hesitant managers have realized that their employees can continue their functions and maintain the same—or potentially even higher levels of—productivity they would have in a traditional office environment.
Most employees are seeing positive outcomes from teleworking, including increased efficiency and lower risk of burnout. Further, it revealed that 85 percent of respondents agree that teleworking is here to stay—even beyond the pandemic."
And this shift to teleworking has the potential to resolve a significant issue regarding the cybersecurity talent gap:
"The state and local officials noted this week that, given the positive results they have seen with their current workforce teleworking, they are now considering using remote positions to increase the cyber workforce recruitment pool by eliminating the need for workers to be located in a certain geographic location or commute to a traditional office."
And taking advantage of this shift will also help your organization become more attractive as an employer that is trying to uncover and retain cybersecurity talent:
"Not only will it widen the selection of workers for organizations, it will also provide prospective employees incentives due to the personal benefits of teleworking such as greater work-life balance and flexible scheduling," Higgins said.
This shows that even in the worst circumstances, there can be a silver lining.