A hi-tech pioneer USA lacks talented cyber specialists

A recent study that was drafted by the Partnership for Public Service, a Washington-based advocacy group that works to improve government service, in association with Booz Allen Hamilton, revealed that while the cases of cyber attacks against the government increase authorities suffer serious lack of IT specialists. This poses a significant security risk to the nation. The report comes after a series of cyber attacks this month hit and shut down some US and South Korean web sites in the governmental and financial sectors.

The study points to a substantial list of problems the government faces when hiring cyber specialists. Among these there are such as a cumbersome hiring process, the failure to devise government-wide certification standards, insufficient training and salaries, and a lack of an overall strategy for recruiting and retaining cyber workers.

"You can't win the cyber war if you don't win the war for talent," said Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public Service. "If we don't have a federal work force capable of meeting the cyber challenge, all of the cyber czars and organizational efforts will be for naught."

Thus, the report makes a recommendation the yet unknown federal cyber czar to develop a strategy that would meet the government’s need in qualified IT work force, set job classifications, enhance training and lead a nationwide effort to promote technology skills, including through the use of scholarships.

The study polled experts inside and outside government, including officials at 18 federal agencies. They expressed their dissatisfaction with the quality or quantity of job candidates they get, forcing them to rely heavily on contractors. 75% of respondents said that attracting skilled cyber talent will be a high priority for the next two years.

Source: The Associated Press