Blog entry by Louis Tasks
How do know what cybersecurity training your people need?
Performing cybersecurity workforce evaluations before training people is crucial for several reasons. Here are some of the main reasons and the value they provide:
1. Identify Skill Gaps: Workforce evaluations help identify
existing skill gaps within the cybersecurity team. By assessing the skills and
knowledge of individual employees, organizations can understand their strengths
and weaknesses.
VALUE: this information allows them to tailor training programs to
address specific gaps and ensure that employees receive the appropriate
training.
2. Optimize Resource Allocation: Workforce evaluations help
organizations allocate their resources effectively. By understanding the
current skill set of their cybersecurity workforce, organizations can identify
areas where additional training or hiring may be required.
VALUE: this enables them to
allocate resources more efficiently, avoiding unnecessary expenditures on
redundant training and focusing on the areas that require improvement.
3. Enhance Training Relevance: Evaluations prior to training help ensure that the training provided is relevant to the needs of the cybersecurity workforce. By assessing the existing skill level, organizations can design training programs that align with the knowledge and experience of their employees. VALUE: this leads to more targeted and effective training, as it addresses specific gaps and challenges faced by the team.
4. Increase Employee Engagement and Satisfaction: Conducting
workforce evaluations demonstrates a commitment to employee development. When
employees feel their skills and abilities are valued and their training needs
are being addressed, it boosts their engagement and job satisfaction.
VALUE: engaged
employees are more likely to be motivated, productive, and committed to their
organization's cybersecurity goals.
5. Support Career Development: Workforce evaluations provide
valuable insights into individual employee potential and aspirations. By
identifying high-potential employees during evaluations, organizations can tailor
their training and development plans to nurture and retain top talent.
VALUE: this
approach fosters career growth opportunities within the cybersecurity field,
enhancing employee loyalty and reducing turnover.
6. Ensure Compliance and Standards: In many industries,
compliance with specific cybersecurity standards or regulations is crucial.
Workforce evaluations help organizations ensure that their cybersecurity team
possesses the necessary skills and knowledge to meet regulatory requirements.
VALUE: by identifying any gaps in compliance-related competencies, organizations can
prioritize training efforts to maintain a strong security posture and meet
legal obligations.
The value of
performing cybersecurity workforce evaluations lies in optimizing training
efforts, fostering employee growth, and enhancing overall cybersecurity
capabilities.
VALUE: this allows organizations to build a competent and well-prepared
workforce that can effectively address the evolving challenges in the
cybersecurity landscape.
SUMMARY and SOLUTION
Cyber-CHAMP (by INL Idaho Nat'l Laboratory) is the only tool, at the time of the post, that provides a cybersecurity work role evaluation and analysis dashboard showing who needs what training for each role.
COGENT Cyber training works with INL and Cyber-CHAMP to determine work role gaps. Then using our training which employs the NIST NICE Cyber work role mapping tool here on COGENT Cyber Range, you can identify the Training needed from the evaluation output for each role in your organization.