Why Ireland for Security Talent?

Why Ireland? As someone building or growing a cybersecurity team, why look to Ireland? In my experience the 3 key factors are local availability of talent, ability to attract overseas talent, and relative ease of doing business.

Caveat: this is entirely a personal perspective, and does not represent the views of my employers. It is based on my own experience of 20 years in cybersecurity, much of it building and leading security teams in Ireland and internationally. My goal here is to share my personal view and provide breadcrumbs for others to follow.

Local talent pool

Ireland has an established pool of cybersecurity professionals, with skills in many of the areas where gaps exist internationally. A typical Irish security professional has experience in large global companies, thanks to Ireland's long track record of attracting inward investment.

Ireland also has a proven ability to develop talent locally, with a large number of colleges and universities teaching security, and a local ecosystem providing entry-level roles. Our security community groups are also a boon: very active and focussed on professional development, regularly delivering strong seminars and world-class conferences.

Attracting talent

The second factor may seem counterintuitive, given we have a local talent base. However, not every skill profile can be found here right away, or in the right numbers. However, Ireland benefits by being an attractive destination for security professionals from elsewhere. EU and UK citizens can move to Ireland with ease, and typically settle quite quickly. For those who need a visa or work permit, Ireland has a pragmatic and well-understood immigration regime.

Cost of living in Ireland's major cities is a growing concern, but higher earning power still attracts many candidates from overseas, and there are fantastic opportunities to build teams in lower-cost locations outside of major cities (more on which in a later note).

Doing business

The last of Ireland's key advantages, in my experience, is the easy of doing business. As a European base for international companies, our location is ideal: about a 6 hour flight from New York, just 5 hours off US Eastern time. Post-Brexit, we are also the main EU member with English as our primary language, and with more business-friendly employment norms than other EU countries.

At a financial and macro level, Ireland also has tax advantages, political stability, and a well-understood legal framework - but those are not a reason to locate a security team here! Come for the talent, fill gaps by attracting from overseas, and enjoy the ease of doing business.

Further reading

To better understand cybersecurity in Ireland, check back for future notes on Ireland's cybersecurity footprint, and the cybersecurity community in Ireland.