How to Put Together a Strong Cybersecurity Team

Having an effective approach to cybersecurity goes well beyond the technologies and tool-sets at your disposal; it also means having a strong team in place to manage the demands of the job. Pulling together a capable cybersecurity team requires more than focusing on technical expertise, but also a range of soft skills that will ensure they form a well-oiled machine.

If you are wondering how to put together the caliber of the cybersecurity team you need, here are some tips to get you started.

Understand the Full Scope of Cybersecurity

Before you can build a capable team, you need a solid understanding of their area of responsibility. For example, they will need to monitor systems for breaches, identify vulnerabilities, stay on top of emerging threats, conduct penetration testing, and more.

Once you outline precisely what they’ll be responsible for, you can more easily assign duties to specific positions. Then, you can identify employees or candidates who are best suited to each role while ensuring you have a sufficient amount of redundancy to manage common absences, like vacations or illnesses.

Provide the Right Information and Training

Even if your workers are highly skilled, you still need to provide them with specific information and training to be productive on the job. This can include anything from the location of assets and tools, notification and escalation procedures, and who is responsible for which tasks.

If you introduce a new tool, you also need to make sure the right members of the team have the opportunity to train with it before it is fully implemented. That way, you know the designated employees can make use of the resource once it is available.

Develop a Formal Response Strategy

Ultimately, even the most robust team needs a standardized procedure for responding to each kind of threat. This ensures that everyone is working the same steps and striving for the same goals, creating a cohesive approach should an incident occur.

Without a formal strategy, the response time could be delayed while everyone tries to determine what actions should be a priority. Additionally, it clearly outlines who is responsible for which tasks, eliminating redundant activities, and can even define who needs to be informed and at what stage.

Developing a formal response strategy should be a cooperative effort between management and your cybersecurity team. This ensures organizational priorities, such as compliance-related actions, are addressed while giving your in-house experts a chance to have input into the process.

By following the tips above, you can craft a strong cybersecurity team as coordinated as it is capable, increasing your odds of positive results in regards to everything from risk mitigation to threat assessment to breach management.

If you are interested in learning more or are seeking high-quality candidates to join your cybersecurity team, the experienced professionals at The Squires Group can help. Contact us to speak with one of our skilled staff members today and see how our services can benefit your company.


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