Securing technology: sustaining a high quality cyber security workforce

Executive summary

The cyber security workforce is undergoing a process of professionalisation. At present, countries are largely approaching this domestically with limited international collaboration or coordination. This report reflects discussions around cyber security professionalisation through seven themes:

• The nascency of the cyber security profession
• Balancing the benefits of global harmonisation versus localisation
• The enduring relevance of cyber security in new technologies
• The powerful social message that the cyber security profession helps make the world a better place
• Nurturing the cooperative cyber security community
• Opportunities to use accreditations to bridge the experience gap
• Bringing underrepresented voices into the discussion.

These themes act as hooks for recommendations for the international community developing the cyber security profession. There are six recommendations:

• Creating a shared glossary of profession terms for common understanding
• Building an understanding of similarities and differences in countries’ approaches to setting standards for cyber security workforces
• Setting a common baseline for the minimum quality standard for cyber security professionals
• Establishing an approach to make national frameworks and standards interoperable
• Establishing a plan for both private and public sectors to adopt common frameworks and standards
• Promoting efforts to encourage countries to join the professionalisation process and tracking progress towards professionalisation

All of the above is underpinned by a requirement for further research in cyber security skill requirements and labour markets.