Alliance Announces Executive Development Program
The Security Advisor Alliance is proud to announce that the 501(c)3 non-profit is launching a new program in 2023, the Executive Development Program.
Companies and governments around the world recognize that they need an expanded portfolio of qualified senior cybersecurity leaders, especially at the CSO/CISO level. The increasing demand for these leaders in operational roles, as well as advisory and governance roles is outpacing the available supply. Ultimately this lack of leadership will affect our industry, along with global security and privacy.
As the cybersecurity industry continues to grow in importance to businesses and governments around the world, threats and incidents are on the rise. Privacy implications of an expanded digital world continue to emerge and evolve. The technology that underlies the operations and security of essentially every business on the planet changes at a rate that is challenging to keep pace with. And the impact from security events continues to expand.
Against that backdrop, the industry is significantly under-resourced. By most estimations, the US alone has over 1M unfilled cybersecurity positions, and the estimates globally total about 4M. Some of that gap may be closed by technology while the remainder will be handled the old-fashioned way, with people trained for the job.
One implication of all this change and expansion is that leadership in the cybersecurity space is at a premium. As an organization that reaches across small, mid-sized, and large enterprises, we see gaps in leadership, especially at the CISO/CSO level. Add to that the burnout rate of existing CISO’s and we will continue to see a growing gap in senior leadership. Along with our members and advisors, we are regularly asked for recommendations for senior leaders to fill roles in companies that range from startups to F500 to federal and state governments.
With that in mind, the Security Advisor Alliance (SAA) has created a program intended to grow a qualified “pool” of CISO/CSO qualified candidates. The idea is to take advantage of the legacy expertise and experiences of current senior level CSO/CISO’s to help emerging candidates be better prepared to step into those roles. We will make it happen through a unique offering of working sessions between a potential candidate (one at a time), a panel of established CISOs, and one on one time with panel members. It is an incredibly valuable way to align your professional roadmap with the needs of the industry at the highest level.
About the Security Advisor Alliance
The SAA is a non-profit created by CISO’s and other senior cybersecurity leaders from large corporations, small and mid-sized businesses, and government to expand their senior leadership community and to work together to solve common problems that affect our industry.
The problem that the SAA focuses on is the gap between the expanding needs of the cybersecurity industry (and industry in general), and the talent available to meet those needs. It is a dynamic and complex problem that demands changes in the way we educate students, and in the ways we bring new talent to bear on highly sensitive problems. It is a challenge that engages all of us, and includes a vision of an ever-growing cadre of qualified leadership at the highest levels.
