What to Keep in Mind While Building Your Next Information Security Team

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Turn on the news, open a paper, or hit social media and you’re going to see evidence of the incredible importance of cybersecurity. Whether your team is controlling retail transactions, health data or human resources, you need forward thinkers with trained reflexes and creative ideas. Think about these things when you build a team that can turn a complex, and maybe delicate system into an ironclad tank.

 

Your system administrator doesn’t have time to be your security person.

These folks already work fulltime keeping your systems updated, running and optimized. Overseeing that part of your business requires a lot of training and staying on top of trends. Security needs change daily; you need someone who has the time to follow the trends, warnings and information to stay in front of those risks. While the system administrator is an important part of the security team, the team needs a different leader who can identify threats, lockdown vulnerabilities and relay information to the sys admin.

 

Train the expertise you need.

Security vulnerabilities morph and evolve faster than bugs in a CDC testing room. When you’re writing the budget and planning testing and rollout timelines, don’t lose sight of the security training line item. Security experts are in demand and keeping them happy and keeping your data safe means expertise. Start with a good hire who has a basic understanding of what the vulnerabilities are, where to find the right information for current risks and how to address them; then give them the tools to stay on top.

 

They must work together better than any Olympic relay team.

While it’s true there will be individual expertise inside the team, team cooperation dictates the critical successes you can expect. Security fixes aren’t always leisurely; they often look more like an Indy pit crew at work. These people need to relate to each other in an intuitive and consistent way. While much of the work of the team communication piece can be accomplished with good procedures, careful hiring can accomplish the rest. Here’s another opportunity to maximize training dollars by working on team rapport simultaneously.

 

Consultants bring expertise when you need it.

It’s hard to have all the home-grown experts you need. A good use of consultants makes any team more qualified and richer by bringing in the specific expertise you’re lacking, and often, using a consultant is better on the budget when you are in a crunch.

Every new patch offers the potential for the next great hack. Having an ace team in place and geared up for response provides peace of mind and the rapid response you need. Want help finding the right talent? Consultant Specialists, Inc. makes the right hire simple. Contact us to get started!

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