AlienVault’s Javvad Malik has commented in response to the Metropolitan Police declaring that they are breaking point in terms of finances, despite selling £1bn worth of property over the past six years, including the New Scotland Yard building.
“It’s unfortunate to see the Met Police budget being impacted at a time where acquiring cyber security skills is of utmost importance,” Malik said.
“The most important aspect would be for the police force to have the right people with the required skillset on the force.
>See also: Will blockchain solve the cyber security skills crisis?
“Where this is not possible, then it should look at expanding its collaboration efforts to draw on cyber security expertise from the private sector.”
Additionally, the UK police has previously been called to make better use of data analytics in recent times, including facial recognition and social media analysis. With access to cyber security skills within the Met Police coming into question, perhaps the shortage of skills goes beyond defending against cyber attacks?
Malik went on to state that police must have better access to technical tools.
“For that, the Met Police should consider looking at its overall technology purchases and invest in security platforms that can offer the biggest return on investment through extensive integration with existing technology purchases,” he explained.
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Not Just a Police Issue
The consideration of cyber security skills is not just important for the police force, but also company CTO’s. A study by Ponemon released last month revealed that only 35% of enterprise representatives said that their staff had adequate cyber security skills.
This is not bound to change any time soon without investment in employees with experience and training in dealing with cyber attacks, as well as relevant software for the job.
Nominations are now open for the Women in IT Awards London and Women in IT Awards Silicon Valley. Nominate yourself, a colleague or someone in your network now! The Women in IT Awards Series – organised by Information Age – aims to tackle this issue and redress the gender imbalance, by showcasing the achievements of women in the sector and identifying new role models
