Cybersecurity – Addressing a Current Issue by Planning for the Future
Although 2020 and 2021 have been a period where the world has come to a halt, it’s also a time when one thing became abundantly clear: we need cybersecurity planning more than ever. And with over 4-billion individuals using online platforms on a daily basis to complete various transactions, we need technically-inclined individuals serving this user base and protecting critical infrastructure from malicious attacks.
More importantly, each individual registering and transacting with a business creates new attack vectors that outside threats can leverage to gain access to pertinent data. Whether you’re a business owner, student, or technology enthusiast, here’s why we need to take cybersecurity 2021 seriously.
Cybersecurity 2021: What It Means to Be Safe in the Digital Age
In simple terms, there are fewer cybersecurity professionals in the marketplace than we need to protect businesses, clients and online users adequately. In the chaotic world of digital platforms, frameworks and programming languages change daily, leading to evolving and expanding vectors that need round-the-clock attention and monitorization.
This message is further illustrated with statistics that show 78% of businesses believe their cybersecurity planning is lackluster, or worse, totally unprepared for a cyber attack. And with 90% of all healthcare facilities reporting that they’ve dealt with a cyber attack at some point in the past, these fears are not unfounded.
Solving the Issue
Cutting to the chase, we need more individuals working within the cybersecurity realm who value the duties surrounding their work. From new graduates looking to enter the job market for the first time to the 45-year-old individual looking for a career change, everyone is a prime candidate for cybersecurity. Although we have long ways to go, here are topics and ideas to get more people involved in securing our technological future:
- Competitive wages and incentives
- Customized education solutions
- Hands-on training materials
- Real-world experience with evolving attack vectors
- Insight and mentoring from industry leaders
- Further emphasis on the need for highly-skilled cybersecurity professionals
Furthermore, students and individuals considering cybersecurity as a career choice need to feel like their efforts matter. From an educator’s perspective, we need to illustrate how destructive and costly cybersecurity attacks can be and tie them to real-world events that affect student’s lives.
Rather than sitting by the wayside and watching these cyber attacks unfold, we should work together to motivate students and enthusiasts alike to fight for privacy moving into the latter part of 2021 and beyond.