Creating a Robust Cyber Team using ACSC Guidelines.

Cyber security has become an integral part of business operations, and having the right talent in your Security Operations Center (SOC) is vital. However, Australia, like many other countries, faces a significant talent shortage. This article delves into the ACSC cyber security role guidelines and how this lays the foundation for shaping your organisation's cyber talent strategy, highlighting how FifthDomain's cyber skills assessments bolster the development of a strong and effective cyber security workforce.

The ACSC Cyber Security Guidelines

The Australian Cyber Security Centre has created guidelines for cyber security roles, encompassing the responsibilities of CISOs in overseeing an organisation's cybersecurity program and personnel.

The CISO is responsible for the cyber security workforce within their organisation, including plans to attract, train and retain cyber security personnel*.

CISOs are mandated to develop strategies for recruiting, training, and retaining proficient cyber security experts responsible for safeguarding your organisation's digital defence. Nonetheless, identifying suitable candidates with the exact skills required has posed a considerable challenge for most CISOs, SOC Managers, hiring teams and recruiters.

The cyber security talent shortage

So why is recruiting cyber operators so challenging? Australia, like many countries, faces a scarcity of qualified cyber security professionals, with around 17,000 more cyber security workers needed by 2026^. The demand for experts in the cyber field is continually growing, while the talent supply remains insufficient. This talent shortage poses a clear and present danger to organisations across the country.

During a recent industry study we undertook with cyber employers, we found that Australian employers are finding that cyber applicants have the tertiary qualifications for the job, but lack the actual skills to perform the job.

Pinpoint cyber skills with technical skills assessments

To address the cyber security skills gap, FifthDomain has created cyber technical skills assessments. These assessments provide a powerful tool for organisations to precisely evaluate candidates' technical skills during the recruitment process. This approach allows hiring managers to make more informed hiring decisions and streamline the recruitment process.

Key Benefits of Cyber Technical Skills Assessments:

Evaluate cyber candidates’ technical skills: Precise and comprehensive assessments enable organisations to gain deep insights into a candidate's technical skills and techniques, that candidates demonstrate, enabling organisations to make more informed hiring decisions, as well as more precise upskilling and on-boarding for new cyber hires.

Remove unconscious bias from cyber hiring: Cyber skills assessments provide an objective and standardised evaluation process, eliminating the potential for unconscious bias in the hiring decision, thereby ensuring that the best candidates are selected based on their skills and competencies rather than personal attributes. This in turn enables greater candidate pools where skilled candidates aren’t overlooked because their skills have been taken into consideration.

Gamified, competency mapped cyber challenges: These assessments incorporate gamification elements, making the evaluation process engaging and interactive for candidates. They are competency-mapped, ensuring that candidates are tested on the skills directly relevant to the role, enhancing the accuracy of assessment.

In-depth performance analytics: showcase candidates' cyber operations skills, comparing their performance to a cohort, and providing quantifiable ranking data to identify top talent quickly.

FifthDomain's CynapticTM adapter maps cyber skills, techniques, and technologies used for each challenge included in an assessment, ensuring that organisations can clearly match what the assessment measures to the position description they’re recruiting for.

Customisations available in-platform allow you to tailor an assessment for your exact recruiting needs. Create custom challenges to assess the precise needs of the cyber role you’re recruiting for, as well as add your logo to the platform and individual performance reports.

De-Risk Cyber Hiring: Cyber skills assessments minimise the risk associated with cyber hiring by providing a clear picture of a candidate's capabilities, reducing the likelihood of hiring individuals who may not possess the necessary skills to protect digital assets effectively.

FifthDomain’s cyber skills assessments allow you to streamline your new hire onboarding process and future employee training program by understanding the candidates technical strengths and weaknesses

Bridging the talent gap with Essential 8 and cyber skills assessments

The Essential Eight framework’s strategies can’t be implemented without the right people to execute them effectively. Cyber skills assessments serve as a bridge between your cyber security strategy and the operators who bring it to life. By precisely evaluating candidates' cyber operations skills, our assessments ensure that the right talent is identified, hired and retained.

By implementing cutting-edge cyber skills assessments during the recruitment process, organisations can confidently identify the skills they need while streamlining the hiring process. Investing in cyber talent assessments is not just a choice, it's a necessity to ensure your organisations protection and the enhancement of your cyber capability by having the right people in operations roles.

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