Cybersecurity Talent in Ireland

I've been preoccupied for a while with questions around cybersecurity talent (far more than any technical topic!). Questions like:

• Is there really such a large talent gap in security, and if so why?

• Where specifically are the gaps: do we need a ton of entry-level generalists, or very senior engineers and architects?

• What does a modern security career look like?

• How can we better use the talent we have today?

Over the past year I've spoken with many peers looking to create or grow security teams here in Ireland. The same questions came up over and over:

• what skills are common or rare?

• where geographically is the talent?

• how do salaries compare?

• who are we competing against?

Many of these were sophisticated companies, ready to hire but with very concrete questions about entering the Irish market - tips on the best conferences to attend or sponsor, which security groups run the best events, where to post roles, etc.

I've enjoyed trying to answer those questions and it’s helped flesh out my thinking on talent challenges. This year I'm aiming to write up my thoughts rather than repeat the same conversations. In so doing I'm hoping to leave more of a footprint personally, and hopefully broaden these conversations.

I've started today with a basic overview of the security community in Ireland: Why Ireland for Cybersecurity Talent?