Tag: remote work

IT Pros: How to Work On Remote in the Post-Pandemic World

Remote work is becoming increasingly common amongst IT pros. The way in which tech experts look for jobs and carry out missions was already changing before Covid-19 hit. IT freelancing was on the rise; With higher levels of remote work; slowly becoming an industry standard and the figure of the digital nomad gaining acceptance.

Now that digital transformation efforts have accelerated and companies have had to adapt their hiring strategies to a world in lockdown; remote work across countries and time zones is out in the mainstream. Regardless of country reopenings and a slow return to the office, remote work is here to stay. Here’s how you can benefit from this trend and what you should keep in mind when pursuing a new gig from the comfort of your home or personal office.

Finding IT remote work – Identify your target employer

First of all, you need to pinpoint your target company type. The kind of company you will be applying for jobs at and that you will turn to support your remote work lifestyle. Whether that is as a freelancer or as a full-time employee.

For that, you need to make sure you are aiming for industries and organisations that have friendly policies towards remote hiring and working. Most big tech companies have fully shifted to remote work after the start of the outbreak. So they will be open to receiving applications and collaborating with fully remote employees. Other sectors of activity will be less prone to hire remote employees due to a lack of organisational readiness or the nature of the job to be done; jobs relating to IT infrastructure and cybersecurity tend to involve an on-site component because of its confidential and hands-on nature.

IT remote work: Make sure your environment and tools are ready

This one sounds rather obvious. But you would be surprised to learn how many IT projects encounter roadblocks along the way. Due to unforeseen technical limitations on the remote worker’s side of things. And we are not talking here about a stable internet connection.

Make sure you have analysed the project requirements and spoken with company stakeholders to understand the technical needs of the project. And also see if you should ask for extra equipment or services – think of cloud processing resources, networking equipment, etc.

The social component

Working remotely can make collaboration with other team members more difficult and requires you to put in some extra effort. The social component of remote working should not be overlooked, but you can follow a few easy steps to ensure you are properly connected with project stakeholders.

First and foremost, make sure you are conducting a proper onboarding. As with most things in life, setting a robust foundation is key. If the employer doesn’t have a fully fleshed out onboarding process, be proactive and put together all the questions you will need clarification on. Make sure you get acquainted with the rest of the team. Even if that means proposing quick one-on-one virtual chats to get to know them a bit.

Secondly, set up follow-ups and regular check-ins with your colleagues to keep track of the progress and let them know you are there and on top of things.

The Top IT Skills to Master in 2021

Not interested in fully IT remote work?

Maybe looking for a job remotely sounds good, but you would rather work on-site at least some of the time. Or maybe you are looking for a job remotely as a way of moving to another country. No problem. The IT jobs market has never been better for that.

Just make sure you are considering everything first, like immigration regulations and demands (visas, health insurance, etc.). Sometimes, working with a recruitment partner who has experience relocating IT experts is the best choice. They will help you figure out all the details so you can get started with your new life as soon and as easily as possible.

Read our article : How the Covid-19 Pandemic is Accelerating the hybridisation of Careers in Tech & IT

Need more tips on how to find a job in IT? Check out our IT job hunting guide.

16th October 2021
IT Pro? Find the right Way of Working Amidst On-And-Off Lockdowns

Working Amidst On-And-Off Lockdowns. If you live somewhere on planet Earth, chances are you are currently experiencing at least some level of confusion thanks to the constantly changing public guidelines and workplace arrangements. The evolving pandemic has us all struggling to keep up with daily news and company memos, our already-busy minds now having to shift from tracking soaring infection rates to figuring out when exactly this week’s curfew kicks in.

Amidst this apparent chaos, it can be challenging to
find balance in both your personal and professional lives – and also in between
them. Days at a half-empty office merge with fully remote ones at a
way-too-small flat you share with other people.

Establishing a stable and effective work routine is
not easy in this context. And, since we know that working in IT is hard enough
for you to be investing too much time into figuring this whole thing out, we’ve
outlined for you all the key aspects you should cover to find the perfect daily
work routine.

Working Amidst On-And-Off Lockdowns? The right remote work formula

Each one of us beats at a different rhythm, and it´s
not always an easily identifiable one. Unless you’ve tried all possible work
schedule arrangements since the start of the pandemic, you’ll probably need to
do some more experimentation to find the right one for you. That is, of course,
if your current job allows for that level of flexibility.

Some companies are operating fully remote until
further notice, while others combine on-premises and remote work or let their
employees make the choice. If you are a freelance consultant or external
contractor, you are probably used to working remotely, but maybe you do so at a
co-working space or are thinking of trying one after being stuck at home for
too long.

Just make sure you find the combination works best for you.

IT Pros: How to Work On Remote in the Post-Pandemic World

Claiming your bubble

Once you’ve got your weekly schedule figured out, it’s
time to focus on your home workspace. We all need our little bubble to be able
to concentrate on our to-do list and work more efficiently. Working at home
complicates that if you share it with other people.

Maybe you find yourself having to alternate replying
to work emails with watching over the kids. Or perhaps you only have one spare
bedroom in your apartment and there’s two or more of you working from home. At
another time, you’d go to the corner cafe and find some focus in the soft
background chatter of random phone calls and clinking cookware. Now there’s not
much escape.

Whatever your situation, it is vital that you claim
your own space within the house or flat. Whether it is a corner of the living
room or a make-up desktop you’ve built out of spare pieces of furniture, you
need to delimitate a space exclusively devoted to working. The couch, of
course, should be out of the question.

Proper use of white noise and music apps can also help
you focus and create that bubble.

The proper toolset

Having a good place to work won’t make much of a difference if you don’t have the right tools. In the back-and-forth context of on-and-off remote work, such tools are those that allow you to work seamlessly across locations and coordinate with your colleagues and clients. In other words: cloud-based collaboration solutions and organisational tools.

These apply to both universal organisational tools
like calendars and project tracking apps, to those targeted to IT professionals
like yourself. From ERP cloud solutions to ticketing and integrated software
development cloud tools, these can have a great positive impact on
productivity, especially when adopted by the whole team or company.

Catching a break

How and when you take breaks is one of the key factors impacting productivity. Some people prefer working for long stretches of time and taking a couple of long breaks a day; others alternate shorter, high-intensity stretches of work with more frequent, shorter breaks – a strategy made popular by the Pomodoro method. Find the formula that works best for you and never neglect breaks no matter how busy you are. A rested mind is a more productive and focused one.

And, since catching a real break can be a bit not
quite effective when you spend the whole day between the same four walls, try
being more flexible with what a break means to you. Exercise could make for a
very good break, so could a quick video game match. Some experts have even
started recommended going out on a fake commute even if we are working from
home. Going on a walk before starting your day and right after business closes
can apparently be very beneficial.

Nurturing you relationships when you are working Amidst On-And-Off Lockdowns

We are social animals, and the intermittent lockdowns
are making it harder for us to nurture our existing connections and developing
new ones. When it comes to work, and beyond satisfying our need for
socialising, developing solid relationships with colleagues and clients goes a
long way to making work easier, better and faster.

Being negated the opportunity to chit-chat by the
water cooler or go out for an after-work drink, you’ll need to be more
proactive to ensure you are not neglecting the social aspects of your
professional activity. Schedule frequent video calls to get that much-needed
face-to-face time with peers and clients. Reach out more than you would
normally do to cancel out the downsides of isolation.

21st January 2021
The Advantages of Working On-Site in Times of COVID-19

What are the advantages of working on-site in times of Covid-19? Even with COVID-19 pushing companies to adopt higher levels of telework, as an IT professional you can really benefit from the closer contact that comes with physically joining your team at the company’s premises.

Although it might not
be your choice to make depending on your company’s policies, you should try to
spend at least some time in the office each week whether it is for meetings or
to work on your daily activities. These are the advantages of working on-site.

First of advantages of working at the office: a teamwork booster

Many companies prefer having their employees working from the office rather than remotely. The reasons behind this choice are numerous and tend to vary depending on the type of industry, the country’s regulations and company culture. It also depends on whether or not the company is able to facilitate a COVID-free space for employees to work safely.

The biggest advantage of working on site is that it makes it easier to interact
and bond with the rest of the team, promoting integration and speeding up
progress on your projects.

You can also take
advantage of all the company’s amenities: the printer, the Internet network,
the cafeteria, gym, etc. Small advantages which can contribute a great deal to your
general well-being and job satisfaction.

A remedy for
isolation

Remote workers often complain
about the feeling of loneliness and isolation that comes with working only from
home. Recent global lockdowns made us all quite aware of this problematic.
It can be difficult to be alone in front of your computer all day long. Going
to work at the office allows you to share your day with colleagues and set a stable
rhythm for both life and work.

It can be easy for home workers to become demotivated and procrastinate. Having to go into the office at fixed times and being able to leave once the job is finished allows for better time management while guaranteeing a real break between the private and professional worlds.

IT Pros: How to Work On Remote in the Post-Pandemic World

Develop stronger relationships

Working on-site gives
you greater access to all the key interlocutors involved in the
project and helps you not get stuck in case of doubt or lack of direction.
But, most importantly, being physically present lets you develop stronger links
with your colleagues and superiors and improves transparency.

Discover our special IT pros guide: IT Job Hunting Done Well: A Step-by-Step Guide

8th October 2020
Why CIOs Should Focus on Employee Experience in the Coming Months

The return from the holidays is a busy one this year for IT leaders. In addition to the traditional hurdles associated with reactivating latent projects and the sudden spike in activity, CIOs are having to deal with the disruption caused by Covid-19.

The business climate remains uncertain months into the pandemic. Organisations are still figuring out how to adapt to new customer demands and operational needs. IT departments face many challenges including budgetary cuts, improving infrastructure and strengthening their IT support team. Yet perhaps their biggest challenge is adjusting to new workplace dynamics.

So far, technology
teams have had to adjust company workflows and processes to a remote workforce—a
logistics and infrastructure problem in the first instance. But, with this first
stage checked off their to-do list, CIOs should now direct their attention to a
more nuanced yet vital aspect of workforce management: improving employee
experience.

Why employee experience

Far from being a new concept, employee experience had been quickly gaining traction over the past years as an area of focus for businesses. To the point that 84% of respondents to a 2019 survey by Deloitte saw it as an important issue. Over a quarter of organisations identified employee experience as one of the three most urgent issues they were facing for the year.

The reasoning behind this
much concern is quite simple: happy employees are more productive employees.

MIT research shows that companies leading the charge in employee experience reap incredible business benefits as a result of it. Organisations with the best employee experiences innovate twice as much, achieve double the customer satisfaction, and have 25% higher profits than their less employee-friendly counterparts.

Yet despite being a
key factor for business success, only 9% of Deloitte’s survey respondents considered
that their company was fully ready to tackle the issue. It is, therefore, a major
priority for today’s organisations – one that CIOs should make their own.

It’s about
technology

Whereas, in the past,
improvements to employee experience had mainly come from HR departments—in the form
of perks or company activities—technology’s role in the process keeps on growing
in importance. Years ago, it was digitalisation that improved employees’ lives,
speeding up paperwork and other tasks. Then came cloud-based collaboration
tools.

But while cloud infrastructure
remains key to enhancing employee experience, the circumstances brought about
by the current crisis calls for a more expansive and diverse use of technology.
It is not only team collaboration and process optimisation that IT leaders need
to worry about this time around. The lack of direct human contact is alienating
employees and rarefying company cultures. Strengthening social bonds and
ensuring mental and physical health is now more important than ever.

There are already many
technological tools aimed at addressing these issues. Microsoft 365, for
example, has an analytics function that provides users with insights about the way
they work—hours of activity, etc.–and advises them on how to maintain a
healthy work-life balance: something that is particularly difficult for those working
from home.

Other companies are coming up with solutions as they go. SAP, for instance, has created a series of solutions to foster socializing between remote workers who miss office interactions. These include a tinder-like app that pairs up remote co-workers for a virtual lunch.

CIOs should also
consider implementing solutions that are more directly related to health. Mental
health counselling is now available through many online portals, and some
companies are starting to offer memberships to their employees. Others are implementing
wellness programs that reward employees for exercising and staying active – all
through fitness trackers and dedicated corporate apps.

Taking concrete steps
and committing to it

IT leaders are perfectly positioned to spearhead the new age of employee experience. The CIO’s role has grown considerably as a result of the pandemic. Becoming that of one of the top decision-makers in the executive team. Now, the potential that technology has for delivering a better employee experience puts the IT department at the wheel once again.

But no significant improvements
are going to be achieved if concrete steps are not taken and commitments are
not made.

These kinds of
initiatives can often be downgraded to secondary priorities during hectic and busy
times, with the best IT talent being directed to other projects. For employee
experience to really improve, CIOs need to make it an absolute priority and
devote some of their best resources to the task. They should also work very
closely with HR in the process, conducting a thorough audit of employee
satisfaction and needs via a survey or even a (virtual) focus group.

21st August 2020
Strengthening the IT support team: the top back-to-school challenge for CIOs?
Many companies have been hit hard by the Covid-19 epidemic. Disruption was inescapable, from decline and suspension of activity to forced restructuring of teams and processes. IT teams were among the most impacted by these upheavals, as IT decision-makers had to take on a new role to help their organizations navigate the crisis. Therefore their new mantra: adapt, anticipate, and reassure internally. Is then strengthening the IT support team the top back-to-school challenge for CIOs?

As we approach the start of the new school year, the challenges for CIOs and other IT managers are increasing. Like who awaits impending doom, they are faced with the threat of a new lockdown at any minute. Adapting to a new way of working and conducting business won’t be easy either.

It is now more strategic than ever to strengthen their IT support team, guaranteeing operational continuity and completing the digital and organizational transformation of the company. Yet budget and organisational constraint make this a challenging endeavour.

Strengthening the IT support – A front-line service

IT support has always been a vital service
within the company. Operating as an internal customer service, it helps solve end-user
problems, responds to all their requests related to the work environment, and
improves productivity.

In just months, the pandemic has
strengthened the role of IT within organizations and propelled the IT service
to the front line. While some companies had to completely shut down activity
during lockdown, many were able to remain active thanks to telework.

But managing such a sudden and massive transition has required significant technical and organizational adaptation. Setting up collaboration tools, remote troubleshooting and technical assistance, rapid resolution of incidents, training of employees regarding cybersecurity risks… IT support teams had to put in long hours to ensure the proper functioning of remote work.

Moreover, to complicate things, cybercrime has skyrocketed since the start of the pandemic and continues to rise. Hackers are taking advantage of the human and organizational weaknesses of companies, targeting remote access points and employee email. Finding the right security experts has become a big challenge for businesses in recent months.

In short, IT support teams have made
themselves more essential than ever.

Facing new challenges

The challenges related to the Covid-19
crisis add to a multitude of already existing challenges within IT support
teams. Issues such as cost reduction, process optimization and quality of
service have only acquired more importance.

The notion of the internal customer is
leading many companies to redefine their structure and put the user at the
heart of the process to improve employee experience. This perspective, which
brings benefits like satisfaction and fluidity, often requires support teams to
unify points of contact, collect feedback and proactively participate in
improving the image of the overall IT department.

Another challenge: reducing tasks with low
added value and exploiting technologies such as AI to automate as many
operations as possible. The idea here is to allow support teams to focus on
more strategic tasks like provide guidance to users.

IT support managers have also one more major new challenge: communication. They need to be transparent and reassuring with their team and play an important role in raising employee awareness about increased security threats.

Set up an adapted Talent Strategy for strengthening the IT support team

To have a good IT support, you need to
start by having a suitable team. Having the right people in place is an
essential condition for success, as it is often the skills and motivation that
make the difference between an efficient support service and an insufficient one.

But how do you make sure you have a strong
team? You can start by following these few tips:
- Perform an audit of current
  skills within your support teams: look at what skills are missing, see if key
  skills are concentrated in too few employees, etc.
- Adapt your team’s organization
  to be able to call on the right people at the right time: in an emergency, you need
  to be ready to activate a reorganization plan to mobilize key skills
- Identify the most efficient
  resources and secure your existing talent
- Set up training mechanisms to
  re-skill certain employees whose area of expertise is no longer suited to the
  current situation
- Establish a recruitment plan to
  cover the missing skills and be able to quickly find the right candidates when
  needed
- Focus on communication and
  transparency
Strengthening the IT support : Is calling on external resources an effective strategy for your IT support?

On top of operational challenges, the
current economic crisis is having a heavy impact on corporate budgets. Many
organizations have had to drastically cut down their expenses, especially their
IT costs.

So how, as an IT decision-maker, can you strengthen your support teams without taking significant budgetary risks? Outsourcing or calling on IT freelancers can be a winning strategy in this time of crisis.

In addition to fewer administrative constraints and the positive effects that freelancers can have on your internal teams, the recruitment of an independent consultant can allow you to mobilize very specific skills to accelerate projects or resolve incidents in key business areas.

The flexibility of working with contractors
allows you to limit risks during this unstable period, as well as access highly
coveted expertise such as cloud and certain collaborative tools.

Regardless, the start of the school year promises to be pretty intense. Whether you choose to strengthen your support teams through hiring or by occasionally calling on external staff, do not neglect the importance of having a strong support team to face the coming months with confidence.

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13th August 2020
Weekly News: A Difficult Relationship With 5G

How is the relationship with 5G? Outlandish theories were spreading like wildfire across the U.K. at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.

In a sudden burst of technological ignorance, a few
conspiracy-lovers set out to destroy the country’s newly deployed 5G towers.
The technology was, of course, behind the mysterious disease.

Since then, the relationship with 5G is difficult, anti-5G sentiment has grown around the globe, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Only that the U.K. has another major problem with 5G: China. Following raising internal pressure and sanctions by Washington, the British government has banned sales of Huawei’s 5G kit starting January. Network providers will also have to abandon all already-purchased Huawei 5G tech by 2027.

Meant at addressing national security concerns, the decision is likely to delay the U.K.’s 5G rollout by 2 to 3 years.

Big ‘oops’ from Twitter

No one is safe from cyberattacks. Not
even Twitter.

The
company’s IT, PR and legal departments sure had one hell of a day yesterday
after news emerged of a
high-profile breach involving major firms and public
figures. Apple, Elon Musk, Joe Biden, Kanye West.

It all started when their accounts starting posting invitations to participate in a lucrative Bitcoin scam with a simple message: send 1.000 dollars to this account, and you will get double in return.

While Twitter blames the breach on a coordinated social engineering attack against its employees, other sources point at a rogue employee who might have helped hackers get inside access.

Remote work is here to stay

Newsflash — Gartner survey confirms the
writing on the wall: remote work is part of the new normal.

A
sweeping 82% of business leaders are planning on allowing at least some level
of remote work moving forward, even after the pandemic is over.

\Nearly half of companies (47%) will allow employees to work remotely full time, while 43% of respondents are aiming for a flexible week schedule.

This new set-up highlights the necessary transformation of the CIO role. IT leaders will now have a bigger role within organisations, leading the construction of stronger cloud collaboration environments and helping maintain a cohesive remote corporate culture.

The AI bandwagon

53% of global tech
and business leaders invested more than $20 million in AI and related talent in
the past year, according to a report
by Deloitte.

Although the majority of respondents believe AI will
significantly transform their industry in the next 3 years, only 47% of them
consider they have a sufficiently skilled AI workforce.

Ethical concerns, data privacy/regulations and AI failure are among the top concerns keeping executives up at night.

Also discover our weekly news: Eco data centers, a Microsoft hack and the EU’s digital sovereignty

17th July 2020
4 Indicators of a Successful IT Freelancer

With any self-employed activity, tracking your performance is necessary to identify what works and what needs to be improved to achieve optimum results. The slow summer months can be a good time to carry out this type of assessment and ensure you are doing the best you can to be a successful IT freelancer.

But what are the best indicators of success
for your self-employed activity? Follow these key indicators to draw
appropriate conclusions and make effective resolutions, both in terms of income
and of work methods

Has your turnover increased compared to
the previous year?

What was your turnover this past year? Was
it higher or lower than the previous year? Although freelance income can vary widely
from month-to-month, looking at the bigger picture will help you assess your
performance. Compare this year’s figure with what you achieved the previous
year over the same period. Deduct from it the percentage of evolution. If that
percentage is negative, it might be time to change certain things.

When calculating your turnover, do not
forget to take into account all your expenses. Then divide your total turnover
by month to get a comprehensive overview of the year.

Did you have more expenses than last
year?

Another indicator of the health of your one-person business is the total amount of your expenses, especially compared to the previous year. As a successful IT freelancer, your charges should be in theory low, especially if you carry out your tasks at the client’s office or from your own home.

If the expenses incurred are made in the
interest of your activity and this has resulted in an increase in your gross
turnover, this is a good sign. On the other hand, if your expenses have
increased more than your earnings, you have things to ask yourself.

Are you managing your time well?

Time management is essential for any successful IT freelancer. You must organize your days to be as productive as possible while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. thinking of allowing yourself moments of rest.

But that is not all: as an successful IT freelancer, you must also reserve some time for housekeeping. Make sure you allocate time to deal with administrative duties, as well as to search for your next assignments.

Have you managed to retain customers
this year?

Customer loyalty is a key indicator of a successful IT freelancer, as it reflects the ability to build trust and ensure satisfaction with clients. The higher your loyalty level, the more likely you are to be contacted again by this client. But you are also more likely to get good recommendations; the best asset for finding new assignments.

You can also look at your customer
portfolio and calculate your average income per customer: you may find that
some customers have asked for too much time compared to what they paid you.

If you are doing short assignments and a client represents almost all of your turnover, you are in a delicate situation that must be taken into account. You in danger of depending too much on this unique client. In the case of long missions, this indicator is obviously less relevant.

9th July 2020
10 Essential Steps to Ensure Cybersecurity

As businesses around the world begin preparations for the return to the office, a shadow still looms over IT departments: cybersecurity.

At the beginning and height of the pandemic, the surge in remote work and a new wave of malware attacks put extra strain on network and infrastructure security. Now, with some employees staying at home while others go back on-site, these challenges remain a priority.

In 2012, the U.K.’s National CyberSecurity Centre (NCSC) debuted a series of cybersecurity guidelines that are now used by most companies in the FTSE350. It is never a bad idea for IT leaders and security experts to consider these 10 proposed steps when assessing their company’s overall security measures.

Define risk management strategy for cybersecurity

First things first — Make a full inventory of all business-critical assets and infrastructure. Then, make sure you get the full picture of your strengths and weaknesses. Once that is done, IT and senior management should decide together what level of risk can be assumed and outline a comprehensive security strategy. All concerned stakeholders, from staff to partners and suppliers, must be made then aware of said policy.

Secure
configuration

Then, no one sets out on a journey without first doing a thorough check-up of the vessel. Make sure all your systems and tools are configured properly and that the latest updates are installed. Disable unnecessary functionalities and fix any issues that might compromise your ecosystem.

Network security

The IT network of
today’s businesses is vast, intricated and somewhat obscure. It combines
different physical locations with cloud services and remote workers and
collaborators. In this context, you must think of any and all vulnerable points
of entry and put processes like VPNs in place to minimise risks.

Malware protection

Also, invest in the malware prevention tools, paying special attention to the functionalities offered in relation to your current and future needs. These tools can come in the form of both software solutions and policies regarding the exchange of information.

Defining user
privileges

Not all employees and users need access to everything in your network. So, split your users into levels and assign different privileges to each of these groups, limiting access to the most sensitive information to a few users. Moreover, it is a simple step that can save you a lot of trouble if an attack gets through, effectively serving as a firewall around the more critical parts of your network.

Incident management

In addition, outline and implement a clear process for identifying and managing incidents whenever they appear. When doing so, keep in mind response time and inter-departmental collaboration to ensure a smooth and efficient response.

User education and awarenes with cybersecurity

Then, put in place security awareness programs and carry out training when necessary. Human error is still the first cause behind enterprise data breaches. Therefore, simple-to-avoid malware tactics like phishing can be effectively managed by promoting a security-conscious culture across your stakeholders.

Home and mobile
working

Also, COVID-19 has made it more evident than ever that work extends beyond the office doors. Your employee training and awareness programs should include recommendations on how to work remotely in a safe manner. Make sure you complement this approach with the proper software and network security tools like the aforementioned VPN.

Removable media
controls

This is another area
in which education and awareness play a big role. Removable devices such as USB
sticks and hard drives are a great conduit for malware to spread. They also complicate
the safeguarding of any information that is exported out of the system. Awareness
initiatives in this area should be accompanied by specific software tools and
policies, like limiting what information can be exported and by who.

Monitoring

Finally, remember to
stay alert. None of the above steps will suffice unless you establish a
comprehensive and ongoing surveillance system. Set up all the monitoring
software that you will need to protect your network and train your IT staff to spot
any irregularities early on.

11th June 2020
Finding security experts in the COVID-19 crisis: a major challenge for IT departments

How to find the good security experts? About a third of the world’s population is estimated to be currently under confinement to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. As a result, businesses across the globe are resorting to remote work to continue operations in those areas where that is possible. This is adding unprecedented amounts of stress to already understaffed IT departments.

CIOs and other IT leaders find themselves racing against the clock to adapt the whole company’s infrastructure to a work-from-home scenario while tackling their biggest concern: cybersecurity. And for good reason – threats are increasing exponentially.

But assembling the right security experts & security team is proving even more difficult than it usually is already.

Security threats give no quarter

Hackers are certainly not going to close shop because of a tiny microorganism. If anything, they are using it to their benefit. For instance; phishing emails; were already the most common form of attack experienced by organisations. But the past days have seen a great surge in attacks trying to lure employees into clicking on an email sent by “their boss” or containing virus-related information.

Among the most reprehensible of attacks are those being experienced by health and medical institutions. Not even the World Health Organisation was spared, targeted earlier last month by a false-domain attack aimed at stealing passwords from agency staffers. The situation is so dire that a group of 400 security experts from international giants like Microsoft and Amazon has volunteered to fight hacking tied to the coronavirus.

Yet that is not the main issue. The pressure being put on enterprise networks is quickly revealing system vulnerabilities. And especially for those companies least used to distributed work and that rely too much on local networks. In short, the soaring numbers of employees working from home are finally making most decision-makers aware of what IT leaders have been warning us for a while. The business world’s generalised lack of a comprehensive security policy and employee awareness training.

Although effective measures like VPNs have gained adoption in recent years, problems generated by shadow IT and BYOD remain largely unresolved. Many staffers will be accessing company resources through their personal devices and networks in the coming weeks. Multiplying exponentially the potential points of entry for attackers.

Experts are becoming even harder to find

In turn, this increase in cyberthreats is exacerbating the skill and personnel shortages the security sector was already experiencing. According to a recent study by ISC, the global security industry lacks more than 4 million security professionals. The world’s security workforce would need to grow 145% yearly just to meet the demand for skilled talent.

The shortage of skills impacts some of the most critical roles within IT security. Such as those related to identifying threats or patching and updating vulnerable systems. However, the deficit is more acute in areas tied to rapidly emerging or evolving technologies. For instance, and in this WFH crisis more than ever, security in multi-cloud environments is key. Unfortunately, few organisations have dedicated cloud security experts or proper encryption protocols for their data in the cloud.

Not surprisingly, the cost of security expertise has also become a problem as the lack of skilled talent drives wages up. And so the vicious circle goes.

Hire or outsource?

With everyone battling over the same security experts. Defining a solid talent strategy and identifying the right partners can make the difference; between a multi-million breach and your department’s success.

Regarding your talent strategy, you first need to decide whether you want to expand your team or rely on the temporary help of consultants. If you had been planning on bringing more people on board for some time, this might be the perfect time to create new permanent positions or fill vacant ones.

On the other hand, calling on a freelancer will most likely allow you to speed up the selection process and provide a quicker response to the crisis. Working with an independent contractor can also help you secure exactly the skills you need at a more competitive cost. As the freelance talent market tends to be more agile and flexible.

No matter which option you are leaning towards, don’t hesitate to seek the guidance and help of talent experts. Time is of the essence in the cybersecurity wars. Partnering up with the right IT staffing specialists will not only allow you to access the best talent; it will help you secure it before another company closes the deal.

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30th March 2020
Weekly News Digest #10
You can bet Alan Turing
didn’t see this one coming when he cracked the Enigma machine.

Pixar pioneers Edwin Catmull and Patrick Hanrahan have won this week the prestigious Turing Award, the highest distinction
in computer science.

The two men invented many of
the 3D computer graphics techniques used to make animation films and special
effects. If you liked the following movies, you now know who to thank:
- Toy Story
- The Lord of the Rings
- Finding Nemo
- Titanic
- Avatar
- Jurassic Park
Speaking of working from home…

Many
organisations including the World Economic Forum have stressed the
importance of ensuring enterprise networks remain safe as more and more people
shift to telework.

Keeping cybersecurity in mind shouldn’t be a problem for IT professionals like you, but it’s always a good idea to make sure everyone is on the same page regarding the proper use of company resources and tools.

A quick reminder can save you a great deal of pain. Here are some tips.

Finally, one for developers —

Microsoft has released this
week the first developer preview of .NET 5. The new iteration, set for
release this November, brings unified development across desktop and mobile
thanks to its integration of mobile-app building platform Xamarin.

The first preview includes support for Windows Arm64 and the .NET Core runtime, whereas the second one will include SDK and ASP .NET Core.

We recommend you look into it.
19th March 2020