It can often be expensive, time-consuming, and risky to fill cybersecurity roles. More businesses are collaborating with third-party service providers to swiftly acquire the needed expertise.
There are numerous potential solutions for the cybersecurity skills gap, but the majority of them need time. Building a talent pipeline and developing skill sets to fulfill business needs in the future can be done through cybersecurity education, training programs, career development tracks, internships, and employer-sponsored academies. But sometimes, the urgency to fill a gap is more immediate.
Third-Party Staff Augmentation
Fifty-seven percent of companies have been hit by the global cybersecurity skills problem, according to an ESG report, “The Life and Times of Cybersecurity Professionals 2021.” Seventy-six percent of respondents claim it is challenging to find and hire security professionals. Increased workloads, positions remaining vacant for several weeks or months, and significant staff attrition and burnout among cybersecurity professionals are the main repercussions of this shortage.
More businesses are turning to third parties for hiring cybersecurity staff.
Fifty-six percent of businesses say up to a quarter of their cybersecurity staff is now outsourced, according to a NewtonX report “Cybersecurity in 2022 Business Outlook and Key Trends.”
Also Read: Addressing Cybersecurity Needs with Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
One option for businesses to get this extra assistance is through staff augmentation and consulting services provided by third parties. Strategic staffing, also known as cybersecurity staff augmentation, involves using qualified outside consultants to supplement a company’s security team on-site. Roles can range from analysts and engineers to architects, virtual CISOs, and compliance specialists, and engagements can last anywhere from a few weeks to a few years.
Companies use staff augmentation services for a variety of reasons. Even though there is still a need for more staff, a hiring freeze may stop an increase in head count. During a brief leave of absence, someone may need to fill the position of a staff member. A project may need support for a year or so but not long enough to warrant hiring a permanent employee. An organization may also need staffing services to replace an outgoing staff member.
Test-Driving a New Role
The chance to examine the value and benefits of new roles is another reason why businesses look for temporary employee augmentation. Recruitment, background checks, interviews, and other HR tasks are all part of the time- and resource-consuming process of hiring a full-time employee, which is then followed by onboarding and training. Moreover, it takes time for new hires to get up to speed. Additionally, there is a chance that the individual won’t put in the necessary effort.
These are just a few of the factors that contribute to businesses often wanting to test out new positions before formally creating them, and strategic staffing services offer this flexibility.
Aspects to Consider When Choosing Staff Augmentation Services
A successful engagement depends on carefully selecting the staff augmentation provider. The investment of the provider in its staff is one thing to take into account. Traditional staffing firms rarely invest in the training or professional development of their resources, instead serving only as a middleman between the client company and the staff resource and the.
Also Read: 4 Ways Security Leaders Can Develop their Team’s Cyber Skills
Finding a cybersecurity-focused services provider that fills roles from its pool of internal experts rather than subcontractors is a preferable option. This has a lot of advantages: A higher-quality engagement results from consultants being more likely to receive benefits, training, and support for technical certifications and coming from a culture that values security. The expertise of the entire team in the provider’s pool will be beneficial to the company as a client if they choose a provider that encourages an open team environment of knowledge-sharing.
Talent Pool
The cyber-skills shortage cannot be fully solved by staff augmentation. Businesses still need to ensure there is a talent pool of cybersecurity expertise in the future. However, a strategic staffing residency is becoming more popular as a reliable method of obtaining the required cybersecurity expertise quickly, without the risks or time-consuming process of full-time hiring.
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