How can you develop a strong cybersecurity team?

A strong Cybersecurity team is a great asset every organization needs in the present day world. It is therefore important to assess the specific needs within the organization, the nature of operations and existing security threats and vulnerabilities. Just like the way each country is faced with varied external threats, it seeks to establish its own defense system suitable to her needs, an organization will build a cyber security team suitable for their needs

Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each team member. This ensures that everyone understands their specific duties and contributes effectively to the overall security strategy. Recruitment of Skilled Professionals: Hire individuals with diverse skills and experiences in areas such as network security, application security, incident response, and compliance. Look for certifications like CISSP, CISM, or CompTIA Security+. Continuous Training and Development: Invest in ongoing training and development programs to keep your team updated on the latest cybersecurity threats, technologies, and best practices. Encourage them to pursue relevant certifications. Have effective communication

Assessing your needs is a really important aspect to consider as it helps your organization to properly define where are you standing in terms of talent, set goals and scope, soft and hard skills required to achieve those goals and the overall team member roles and their responsibilities. Conducting a proper assessment may support and justify the team size and budget needed.

To have a strong cybersecurity team, its necessary to have well-differentiated specialists and roles. In addition, continuous training and updating of the team is essential for success. Integrating beginner profiles into the team is good because they will provide freshness, new ideas and a desire to develop, but it is necessary to have managers from different areas who know how to guide and accompany them in their development, and in turn, ensure the security of the business.The Governance team is very important, people capable of making decisions and providing good leadership. This requires knowledge of safety, but also, and even more importantly, a series of soft skills related to leadership, team management and decision making.

You can hire people who have done cybersecurity courses as trainees and train them, so that they can be useful to you and you can save on cost also

In my experience, I have met people from different educational and social backgrounds being excellent collaboration in cybersecurity tasks. So my recommendation is to not discard individuals just because they not fill an specific technical criteria. Instead, see if they are passionate about this field and try to test theur abilities to adapt and learn. Diversity in your team will grant you to have a broad mindset among team members when facing any situation.

Recruitment and Talent Acquisition: Look for individuals with diverse skills and experiences in cybersecurity. Seek out professionals with expertise in areas like network security, ethical hacking, incident response, digital forensics, compliance, etc. Look beyond technical skills—soft skills like problem-solving, communication, and teamwork. Continuous Training and Development: Cyber threats evolve rapidly, so ongoing education and skill development are essential. Encourage your team to attend workshops, seminars, and certifications to stay updated on the latest trends, tools, and techniques in cybersecurity.

Team Collaboration and Communication: Foster an environment that encourages collaboration and open communication among team members. Cross-functional training, regular meetings, and knowledge sharing sessions can strengthen the team’s collective expertise.

Respectful collaboration is crucial in any organization. You need that your team is able to communicare and being transparent enough to move formward and achieve goals. It must flow from top management to the rest of collaborators and viceversa. Open channels and forums and a feedback culture are a must as those will help to improve aspects in the organization.

It is necessary to study the best options for your business and implement all the security controls and measures following the best practices sector. Owasp top 10, international standards as ISO 27, NIST, DORA, PCI... Are good resources to understand what are the steps in order to create a robust Information Security Management System.

Building and developing a strong cyber team out of my experience, isn't always evaluating their performances based on a common matrix, it is about open communication, finding out what drives the individual and aiding and supporting them both personally and professionally. There are courses that one would expect someone needs to have to show cyber knowledge, but it is all about ensuring that the team is well supported in their education, their work and life and ensuring balance. Giving clear deadlines and outcomes do help and if the team understand why they are doing activities and the time for it, it works even better.

We need to acknowledge the following: People-Centric Cybersecurity: Recognize cybersecurity as a people problem, not just a technology issue, is crucial. Technology is vital, prioritizing the human element is key for success. Addressing Humans and Prioritizing Threats: To tackle cybersecurity effectively, understanding human behaviors is paramount. Focussing on threats helps organizations stay ahead, acknowledging the dynamic nature of cyber threats. Continuous Learning in Cybersecurity: In the ever-evolving field of cybersecurity, ongoing learning and skill development are essential. Remaining open to new technologies enhances effectiveness and ensures a proactive response to emerging threats, contributing to overall security resilience.

You have to study your needs before to make a decision. You need to understand your business, know your assets, and at this point you will be able to protect them. A good assets inventory, and then a good BIA is the beginning of the sucess in cyber.