Minorities in Cybersecurity: The Importance of a Diverse Security Workforce
In an earlier article, we looked specifically at the gender gap in cybersecurity. (1) This article will look more closely at the wider area of diversity – people from all walks of life, of all creeds, representing all ethnicities. The world is made up of peoples of many different backgrounds, and yet, our cybersecurity workforce does not reflect this diversity.
Information is Beautiful (2) have created a breakdown of “Diversity in Tech” which shows the disparity of employment in ethnic minorities in the technology sector. For example, across the board, Latino and Black employees are massively under-represented, with less than 10% of the workforce across many large organizations (this includes Facebook, Microsoft, and Salesforce).
In cybersecurity, this situation is perpetuated. Data from DataUSA showing the ethnic make-up of holders of the post of ‘Information Security Analyst’ demonstrates this clearly. DataUSA, found that in 2016, the workforce for this post was made up of 74% white employees, 11.9% black employees, and 7.9% Asian employees. (3)
A report by (ISC)2 found slightly better statistics for ethnic minority representation when viewed across a wider spectrum of cybersecurity employment – with 26% of the workforce coming from a minority group. (4) However, what the report highlighted that was of particular interest was that people from ethnic minorities who held managerial positions in cybersecurity were more highly qualified than their Caucasian counterparts. In terms of salary, there were also discrepancies. The report found that, on average, minority groups were paid less than their male Caucasian counterparts, with Black females fairing the worst.
Cybersecurity, perhaps more so than other areas of technology, is one requiring a multidisciplinary approach to a problem. The area of cybersecurity is one where problem-solving skills and a holistic view of a challenge is key to resolving an (Read more...)
*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from InfoSec Resources authored by Susan Morrow. Read the original post at: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/infosecResources/~3/lvmBc7R76Xw/
