The metaphor of tsunamis crashing into the technology labor force opened an intriguing discussion on “The Future of Work (in Security) is Probably Not What You Think” during last month’s ISACA Digital Trust World conference in Dublin, Ireland.
The conference session, led by David Foote, chief analyst and research officer at Foote Partners LLC, delved into the transformative waves of change sweeping through the technology workforce and the profound implications for professionals in the fields of cybersecurity, audit, risk, governance and privacy.
Foote focused on two enormous waves that are altering the nature of employment. The first wave is caused by the high-momentum technologies that are rapidly evolving and profoundly changing business paradigms and competitiveness. This transition is putting a lot of pressure on employers to change the composition of their workforces, opening up new professional pathways in security and related IT disciplines.
The “Great Workforce Reshuffling,” a COVID-19 pandemic-related effect that has permanently changed how, where, and with whom people work, was the second significant wave that was mentioned. It has changed the salary, management, and performance evaluation of technology professionals, as well as the demand for both hard and soft skills.
“More than two-thirds will have their job definitions changed, not go away, but change, because they’re now being assisted by AI and automation,” Foote said. “This is a profound change which has implications for skills and how people build skills to work alongside machines."
Foote underscored the significance of solving these issues through the use of cutting-edge technologies and workforce transformations. The presentation included findings from the in-depth analysis conducted by Foote Partners using information gathered from 4,200 employers.
The session also explored how developing technologies, changes in the global economy, and labor changes brought on by the pandemic will affect business models, the IT job market, and specifically how these changes would affect professions in cybersecurity, audit, risk, governance, and privacy. Participants learned about how the dynamics between workers and employers will change over the following 10 years in these specialist professions.
“Right now, the biggest deficits are in terms of trust architecture, risk analysis, regulatory compliance,” Foote said. “But there’s a lot of discussion about trust architecture.”
To enable attendees to compare their salary and skills/certifications with those of professionals in the cybersecurity, audit, governance, and privacy sectors, Foote provided data from Foote Partners’ 2023 IT Professional Salary Survey and 2023 IT Skills/Certs Pay Index. IT certifications often lead to pay premiums and career advancement opportunities.
“You make more money, you can promote faster, you get better opportunities,” Foote said. “It’s really important to work for a company that focuses on humanizing your career advancement.”
The session also covered how generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) technologies like ChatGPT, Bard, and Bing would affect how security professionals will operate in the future – and the many unknowns that will have to be navigated.
“A lot of what you’re going to do going forward in terms of whatever job you have next or whatever career you aspire to is going to be things that don’t exist right now,” Foote said. “You have so much learning and I have so much learning ahead of things that don’t exist.”
The session’s attendees left with a better knowledge of the quickly changing landscape and the important roles that technology and human talent will play in the ensuing years. As the presentation concluded, Foote left the audience with a message of embracing change, developing the necessary skills, and staying ahead of the curve to thrive in the dynamic future of work.
“The future of work isn’t just about technical skills,” he said. “It’s about being multidimensional. Employees who possess a blend of both technical and soft skills are invaluable in the evolving landscape.”