Desperate times normally bring out the creativity in the human person. Poverty is said to be the mother of all invention. The present economic imbroglio is unnerving to the IT professional. The signs are blatantly displayed that there is a uneasiness in the technology world. I’ve had the opportunity to interact with a group of workers who are currently in limbo after learning that their company was bought out by a corporate giant. Oh yes, the days of being secure in your IT job are gone. The professional has to make himself or herself valuable to the stakeholder. That acronym rings through, ROI. Being an active observer for the past eleven years, I fully understand and support the posture of the decision makers as regards maximizing their training dollar. I have witnessed abuse by a minority of employees who viewed training as a day off. Just a way to be off the job. I have seen the majority of employees really working to achieve professional advancement and then not rewarded for their effort. In some cases it was just wastage of training dollars, the money had to be used up before the next year or the department would lose it. Goodbye to those days.
The days of the easy release of training dollars for employees by employers are over. No longer will employees be allowed to peruse the corridors of training institutions with impunity. The present economic turmoil has sealed that door. The need for certified employees is still a high priority but with the uncertainty of the business environment, these dollars are not going to be wasted. The big words, RETURN ON INVESTMENT! The adult/learner/employee has to evaluate the needs of the organization to which they are affiliated and go for it.
Every business enterprise that is connected to the internet has one major concern, SECURITY! Not only are these organizations tightening their approach to information security but they are, in some cases, mandated to display to stakeholders, their security posture. Compliance laws, directives and regulations like HIPAA, SOX,and Gramm-Leach-Bliley has made it a matter of successful or failing business ventures. Today the average network employee is being exposed to a whole new daily jargon. Privacy, confidentiality, integrity, availability, due care, due diligence, prudent person and on and on. The well-known network compromises of the last decade has created an environment that defines territory. Networks are already in place. They have been designed with speed and availability as the priority service. Not security. The old 80/20 rule of networking no longer applies. The evolution of communication from closed to open has redefined networks. A few years ago, you would see a few network security books on the shelves. Today there are books on Security+; Certified Ethical Hacking; Data Forensics, CISSP just to mention a few. The employee/stakeholder has finally accepted the fact that network staff is in a battle for control. The bad dudes are out there. Networks devices, applications, processes are all vulnerable ( check the SANS.org vulnerability list).
Most students I’ve met, have the needed knowledge of IT. The deviation is moving into the security field. What I love about it is that it is dynamic. There is a new challenge everyday. The Security + certification ( Comptia) is a phenomenal start. This program introduces the student to basic concepts of information security. Cisco has recently created the CCNA Security specialization. SANS has some great classes, so does Planet 3 for the WiFi heads. The need for qualified security personnel is overwhelming, this presents an opportunity for the serious networker to advance his/her career and be rewarded for it.