Communications of the ACM
Where Are the Cyber Pros?
Credit: CRA Inc.
The U.S. government has made progress on building a cyber workforce but continues to face several hurdles. Requirements are constantly shifting due to rapidly changing technologies and threats, formal training remains in the early stages of widespread availability, and the specialty is not well-defined. The biggest challenge might be the budget climate and the uncertainty of funding.
Some observers note that the right mix of technical skills and soft skills is needed, and the right kind of employee is needed across government, not just the Pentagon. Others say the scale of the issue is a source of frustration, considering the demand is for a global population. "This is really a global issue . . . . The Internet and cyberspace really doesn't respect anybody's national boundaries," says the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology's Ernest McDuffie.
National Cyber Security Alliance executive director Michael Kaiser also sees the issue as a matter of cultural change in education, technology, and security — and where they intersect. "This is about shifting our culture in the way we educate people to defend our country," Kaiser says.
From Federal Computer Week
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Abstracts Copyright © 2013 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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