Preparing the Cyber Workforce of the Future

Diana Burley of American University Advocates for Diverse Skills in Cybersecurity Workforce Rahul Neel Mani (@rneelmani) • May 9, 2024

In the evolving field of cybersecurity, having a diverse workforce is a strategic necessity, said Diana Burley, vice provost of research and innovation at American University. To mirror threat actors coming from different places with different motivations, cybersecurity workforce should comprise "people from different backgrounds, different areas, from different perspectives all working together," she said.

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Burley advocated for a break from the conventional, where teams were often homogeneously technical. By integrating a mix of technical and non-technical talents, "people who are musicians, artists, and sociologists," organizations can enhance their problem-solving capabilities and create more resilient systems.

"Technology is critical to understand what tools are there. But when we work with people in our organizations, we are asking them to change their behavior," she ...