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Many people resort to pointing to their 1^st class or 2.1 degree from such and such university as proof that they are the right person for the job. And of course, a degree can be an excellent asset to have as it can demonstrate someone’s dedication to learning, hard work, and at its most basic level – a foundation of knowledge in a certain field / industry. However, for those of us without degrees – are we at a disadvantage? Most certainly not.  

We want to answer the question that gets asked a lot – how can you best sell yourself if you don’t have a degree in IT but are competing against peers who have one?

1. Don’t make a big deal out of it

Don’t make your lack of degree the focus of your interview. If asked about it, explain your reasons but don’t launch into a big defensive speech. We would advise not even bringing that up at all – really, why bother? By highlighting that you bring attention to it when the interviewer may have not intended to speak about it at all.  You discussing this might be perceived as a reflection of how you view yourself and that you are worried about your performance due to the lack of a degree. But that is rarely the worry – we know we can perform, we know we have the skills, which is why we applied. Our worries tend to centre around the future employer regarding us as somehow deficient. So let them ask the question if that worries them, but otherwise, spend your time focusing on the rest of the points outlined below.

At the same time – don’t be afraid of this question. Don’t assume that just because you’re asked about why you didn’t go to university, they don’t like you or think you’re not good enough for the job. Assume the best – it could be simple curiosity on their behalf!

2. Be confident

In addition to not making your lack of degree a big deal – be confident about yourself and your career to date. You have nothing to be embarrassed about – you have achieved great things by now and this is your chance to stand confidently and show the interviewer that you are comfortable exactly as you are and that your achievements are down to your hard work and dedication.

3. Realise the advantages of not having a degree

Your success is down solely to your own efforts! You had to compete against people with degrees and you have succeeded. You success is self-made and that is something you can take pride in, you have had to find creative ways to position and sell yourself to employers in the past and you have succeeded. This shows a high level of problem-solving ability as you had to find ways to break into your sector without the degree green-card.

4. Success and results

An interview is a time to highlight your greatest professional successes and the positive results you achieved in your previous roles. It is not a time to play down your successes – ‘I did well but that was a long time ago’ nor is it a time to sing songs of praises to yourself – ‘I am the best wherever I go!’. Be moderate but honest. Speak about the facts of your achievements and you will avoid looking arrogant. Highlight the strengths you have, benchmark yourself against your peers who have gone down the academic route (without saying, “I am better than people with degrees”) and demonstrate how you have achieved the same level of experience or higher.

5. Don’t berate education

Focus on yourself, not the people who have degrees. There is nothing wrong with having a degree just as there is nothing wrong with not having one. But don’t spend the precious interview time talking about people with degrees – avoid looking down on people with degrees or implying that they haven’t worked as hard as you. Degrees take effort, time and commitment and involve a lot of hard work, and you also risk offending your interviewers if they have gone to university. Avoiding this line of reasoning will allow you to be comfortable in your own skin and professional choices, rather than risking coming across as insecure and needing to put others down in efforts to elevate yourself.

If you don’t currently work in IT but would like to move into this sector but don’t have the right experience or academic background – don’t worry. There are plenty of jobs in IT that don’t require technical skills and tech-based degrees. 

6. Analyse the job spec

Many people don’t pay enough attention to the job specs of the adverts they respond to, and as a result, their applications suffer. Have a baseline CV that you use as the skeleton for your applications, but tailor it depending on the job! Even if you’re applying for two roles that seem exactly the same on the surface – say, a Java Developer – you will be surprised by the subtle differences in requirements that companies and organisations may have. They might look for certain personal characteristics or a specific use of Java skills. Don’t miss these as they are your chance to shine. Your goal should be to match the job spec so well that they forget to even ask whether you have a degree or not.

Don’t make things up, though – you will be caught out sooner or later and that is not a career risk you want to take. But there are ways to present your achievements and experience in a way that aligns with the role you are applying for, and taking the time to study the spec and tailor your CV to it is an effort worth expending.

7. Demonstrate an interest in learning

You might not have gone to university but you should be able to demonstrate an interest in learning and developing your skills. This can range from free online courses to paid qualifications, or even taking part in online communities such as PHP Community Groups and other forums that enable an exchange of knowledge and add to your learning. By demonstrating that you are keen to learn, grow and develop, you give your potential future employers confidence that you will work hard and do your best.

Is this advice only for people without IT degrees? No! Most of these points are applicable to professionals with and without degrees, as well as those of you only starting out in your careers.

A change is as good as rest – how many CIOs and IT managers would agree? They really are at the forefront of the rapidly evolving technology that’s at the heart of nearly every business and organisation

With IT such a crucial, but evolving, part of the business, it makes no sense to plug away, doing what’s always been done and hoping for the best. CIOs that do that will come unstuck very quickly – and they understand that.

On top of CIO dilemmas around whether to opt for public or private cloud, software defined storage or hardware, they’re also managing infrastructure for an increasingly flexible workforce – one that can work any time of day or night, from anywhere and on any device.

The swift pace of technological change is not rest-like for the ones implementing it. In fact, it’s most likely pretty stressful.

But here’s the bottom line: even if it’s not as good as a rest, change is inevitable. And whether businesses are trying to keep up with changing consumer behaviour, competition or even a diversifying workforce, the right IT infrastructure, and the right strategy supporting it, are vital.

There’s simply no use trying to shoe horn new technologies into what’s already there. It’s time for a rethink: and that’s exactly what CIOs and IT managers are starting to do.

Back to school

Hardworking, high performing IT infrastructures are not achieved by implementing a single product or technology. Success is about having the right frame of mind: a CIO has to be ready to innovate, develop and implement change.

Remaining wedded to the old way of doing things hasn’t cut it for a while. But with so many new products promising to be the next big thing, how are CIOs staying on top of technological developments and identifying what’s hot, and what’s not?

It’s becoming more difficult: would you know whether OpenStack or Docker was right for your needs? Or whether you should consider NVMe this year? It almost goes without saying how important those decisions are.

Selecting the wrong storage solution for example, could slow down your business at best. At worst, it could cause outages and lost data.

CIO education and training is so important: both to understand the technologies that are available to them and to get to grips with the demands of their infrastructure.

It’s not possible to make an informed choice without a good understanding of the technology that’s out there. And even then – knowing a product has high performance levels isn’t enough – will it perform well with a customer’s existing technology? And is the right fit for the job it’s required to do?

For example, a storage solution designed for business critical data will be a very expensive choice for archived data that’s only kept for compliance.

Going back to the classroom can fill some people with dread – but education is key. And not just intermittent training: being talked at for a few hours, a couple of times a year. This has to be a commitment to continual learning: finding a trusted expert who’s happy to share their thoughts, going to key industry events, and spending time getting to know what the organisation’s infrastructure really needs.

A commitment to education makes sense for the organisation: there’ll be fewer issues if the right technology is implemented. But it also makes sense for the CIO, who will be in a much better position to advise decision-makers in the business, and share expertise and knowledge with the IT team.

Shaking the IT industry

The industry – from vendors to the channel – has to change its mind set too. Making wild claims about how technology performs in the lab can be confusing and misleading.

Vendors will need to be more transparent when it comes to explaining what their solutions can realistically achieve and what type of environment they’re best suited to.

This approach will benefit all involved: the customer, who will have the information they need to make the right choice, and the vendor, who will build well-earned trust, which is very valuable in today’s fickle market.

And the channel, already expert in so many solutions, will also feel the pressure to get a more detailed understanding of breakthrough technologies. Many customers rely on resellers, for example, to offer advice based on the best fit for their requirements and their budget.

They expect their reseller to really understand what’s on offer. Customers already select their resellers based on knowledge and insight, but that’s going to become even more crucial.

The whole of the channel will have to prove its worth, and it’ll do that through educating itself and its customers, and by building stronger relationships with vendors.

The fourth utility

There was once a time when the IT infrastructure was a couple of desktops and a printer. Now it’s become a utility: as important, if not more so, that water, gas and electricity.

But it’s not the same: power and water supplies don’t change from one quarter to the next. The demands on them rarely increase without warning.

With IT such a crucial, but evolving, part of the business, it makes no sense to plug away, doing what’s always been done and hoping for the best. CIOs that do that will come unstuck very quickly – and they understand that.

That’s why education is already becoming so important, and will continue to be vital over the coming years.

Source: Information Age

(*note to colleagues – we need a snappier tag-line!):

Sub-game: Hidden throughout this article are various placeholders, #1 to #9; can you identify the correct RE term for what is being alluded to or answer the question in each case? 

Objectives

• To capture as many different requirements (known as Rekx) as possible
• To combine multiple similar Rekx into fewer, stronger and more robust versions

Step 1: Build your collection #1

An analyst could just sit back and wait for the Rekx to arrive, or stick to familiar routes and routines. But that way will only gather up a few, potentially weak specimens, the process is likely to take a lot longer and the analyst’s ability to capture Rekx will not improve. Taking on board the gamification approach, it is better to be a Rekx hunter! (Note: do we have a levelling system we could use to help with this activity? #2). The hunter approach might involve the following:

• Actively seek out the Rekx. Wander the hallways, the open office landscapes and the dark caverns of the IT department looking for them. Some will be obvious while others will only give subtle clues as to their presence and might require a closer investigation to reveal and capture; these Rekx are often overlooked and can be extremely valuable #3.
• Seek out hotspots where Rekx hunters and Rekx owners alike can congregate and share information (note: let’s call them RekxSpots). Not only can the assembled meeting be facilitated to develop a shared outlook; but the ability to capture and improve Rekx quality will also increase across the group. #4
• The more interactive and engaging the RekxSpots, then the more productive they will be; increasing engagement with Rekx owners. Hints: typically a mix of the above techniques will be most effective. Never get too focussed on one particular kind of Rekx or on only capturing the new ones; you never know when a new Rekx may wander by or valuable detail is contained in a similar Rekx from a different source.

Step 2: Improving Your Collection #5 

By following the above advice the Rekx collection will soon swell, often to breaking point. It is worthwhile occasionally taking stock and analysing the collection so far.

• You will quickly identify a number of very similar Rekx in your collection of varying levels of robustness. Don’t simply discard the lesser ones; there’s often something in them that can be incorporated into the best ones to make them even better.
• These can be combined to create Super Rekx. There are likely to be fewer of these in your collection but will be of great help when organising the collection. #6
• Look for significant gaps in the collection or the need to bolster existing Rekx through further exploration and gathering.’

Step 3: The Boss Fight stage – the final test #7
You may get to the point when you feel your collection, or a subset of it is ready for the ultimate test. At this stage you should throw your Rekx into an arena where they can be measured against challenging tests. (Note: we could call this RekxGate). How well they perform will depend on how comprehensive a collection you have built as well as how robust they are following the analysis and refinement process. We all seek validation in our day-to-day lives, and gamification should include this important step.

General hints and tips

• Participation: It's typically better to work collaboratively within teams. As well as being more productive, the more eyes you have at work the more thorough the end result. It can also be more enjoyable, especially when it comes to a gamified activity.
• Results improve through both application of better practice and through experience gained from practice. Always look for ways you can improve in the future.

Conclusion 

The underlying framework (#8) for this set of activities, the cataloguing and managing your collection of Rekx needs a cool name; how about Rekx Gathering. Makes it sound too easy? How about Rekx Cataloguing. Too boring? 

Rekx Engineering that has a nice ring to it. Anyone improved on that tagline yet?

Gotta catch ‘em all? Catchy… but have we checked this out with Legal because it sounds familiar…

Anyway, I think there’s an inherent flaw in that tagline in the context of Rekx Engineering (#9); what do you think? Could this sort of Rekx gamification catch on?

Answers to the sub-game at the bottom of this page.

Answers
#1 Elicitation; #2 The Business Analysis career path and associated certifications; #3 Tacit Requirements; #4 Workshops and focus groups; #5 Analysis; #6 High level or Epic requirements for traceability etc.; #7 Validation; #8 The RE framework; #9 You’ll never catch them all (beware analysis paralysis), but have you caught enough?

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Where services depend on shared resources it can be very difficult to effectively manage the services especially if resources are working together on-premise and cloud.

Effective service management is difficult where services are reliant on shared resources, and is even more challenging when some of the resources are on-site and some of the resources are in on cloud servers. This can have an effect on:

• Controlling remote devices
• Maintaining visibility into virtualised resources
• Achieving demanding SLA’s for critical business applications

Technologies that are already in place in a company may not get replaced when other technologies or service become available for example a company may implement cloud based services but continue to provide infrastructure services and host applications on-site. Due to this, IT managers are facing challenges from both the legacy and new technologies. A single tool may be needed that can enable IT managers to provided management across all of the platforms and this can be costly.

Factors Driving Change

New technologies are pushing change for companies while improving productivity. The biggest technologies currently driving change are:

• Cloud Computing
• Mobility
• Big Data

Management Impact

The implementations of cloud, mobility, and big data for IT companies are that IT managers must now manage these new technologies in conjunction with their legacy infrastructure and applications. The ever evolving nature of IT requires new tools to allow synergy between legacy and new technologies. However this increases the difficulty to manage.

What are the main hindrances stopping the adoption of authentication strategies, and will passwords be around for much longer?

Single-factor, password-based authentication – and even many traditional two-factor approaches – are no longer enough to secure today’s increasingly digital world.

These techniques, including username, passwords and security question credentials do not sufficiently protect organisations and the critical data they hold, as seen in the spate of recent breaches such as Yahoo!

According to the 2016 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, 63% of the attacks it studied leveraged weak, default or stolen credentials at some point in the attack.

This indicates that, in order to combat the rising tide of credential abuse, organisations must implement stronger forms of authentication.

Despite this, users and organisations are still slow in adopting stronger security measures.

Some organisations have a tough time finding ways to increase security without creating a lot of resistance from either employees or customers.

Especially as most employees don’t always think about security as their priority, while customers just want to access their accounts as quickly as possible.

Most employees hate additional authentication steps or hoops to jump through.

Nobody likes:

• Having to adhere to a strong password policy – logging in, logging in again, waiting for access, changing passwords every 90 days, complex passwords that are difficult to remember.
• Using antiquated two-factor authentication with cumbersome hardware tokens: adding a PIN code at every log-in, carrying around a hardware token, not to mention the expense to the organisation of replacing tokens and the support/maintenance drain on IT staff.
• Waiting on hold with Help Desk instead of immediately being able to help ourselves with tools like self-service password reset and account unlocking.

Individuals can make it easier on themselves by adapting and selecting access capabilities to fit their needs, removing barriers to adoption.

In October, SecureAuth conducted a survey on IT decision makers in the US and found that 69% of respondents say their organisation is likely to do away with passwords within the next five years.

This is good news. A growing movement of individuals and businesses opting for an authentication overhaul means there is a real understanding of the limitations of existing protocols and a concerted drive to limit the potential for future network breaches.

It’s in everyone’s best interest to make it more difficult for attackers to cause further damage to our economy.

Yet, these advocates often face multiple challenges from their company’s executives.

Top reasons hindering authentication strategy improvements cited by respondents to SecureAuth’s survey include:

1. Disruption to users’ daily routine.
2. Lack of resources to support maintenance.
3. Steep employee learning curve.
4. Fear the improvements wouldn’t work.

However, multi-factor authentication need not be disruptive, a simple user experience can be maintained.

User-friendly adaptive access technologies such as device recognition, threat services (leveraging information from a network of 11 million advanced threat sensors to determine blacklisted IP addresses), and geo-location look-up.

When used in layers, such techniques can strengthen any organisation’s security posture.

This enables users to stay both secure and productive with minimal disruption to their daily routines.

It’s time for companies to adapt and move away from the simple password.

To future-proof, organisations must look to invest in such adaptive authentication that contextualises the above elements for accurate user identification.

Importantly these techniques all happen behind the scenes, increasing security at the same time as not getting in the way of the end user experience.

Eliminating passwords removes any reliance on them and means that compromised credentials are no longer a risk.

Strong security during authentication no longer has to be at the expense of the end user, workers and organisations can now have both. It doesn’t have to be a compromise.

Source: InformationAge?

• Permanent vacancies down 1% year-on-year
• Contract vacancies fall 9%
• Contractor vacancies in finance drop by 23%   
• Average salaries dip by 1.3%

Permanent vacancies dip
Professional recruitment firms reported that overall vacancy numbers for permanent roles dipped by 1% in February 2017, while demand for contractors decreased by 9% year-on-year, according to new survey data from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo).

APSCo’s data, which focuses on professional recruitment, reveals notable variations between the trade association’s core sector groups in terms of hiring activity. While permanent vacancies across both finance and engineering, for example, have increased marginally (both by 1%), permanent placements within IT slipped by 7%.      

Contractor vacancies fall in the financial services sector 
Vacancies for professional contractors decreased by 9% across the board year-on-year, with much of this activity attributed to a notable fall in the number of roles within financial services.

Despite the fact that permanent vacancies increased by 1% year-on-year in this sector, demand for contractors dropped by almost a quarter (23%) during the same period as investment banks in London finally begin to execute plans to uproot jobs from the City. Demand for IT contractors has also decreased by 16%. This is despite the fact that a recent report from Tech Nation found that the British technology sector is growing faster than the UK economy, growing by 30% in just five years.

Average salaries down
APSCo’s figures also reveal that median salaries across all professional sectors dipped by 1.3% year-on-year. This figure is characterised by notable fluctuations in terms of sector, with IT, for example, recording an uplift of 1.3% while in banking average salaries were down 3.6% year-on-year.

Ann Swain, Chief Executive of APSCo comments:

“Amid the huge amount of uncertainty the UK is facing as the Prime Minister prepares to trigger Article 50, demand for talent remains incredibly strong. Despite predictions that the Brexit vote would decimate the jobs market, the fact that permanent vacancy numbers remain largely unchanged since early 2016 – a time when forecasts overwhelmingly predicted that the UK would remain inside Europe post-referendum – is testament to the sheer strength and robustness of the UK economy.”

“While contractor placements actually increased by 3% in February, a decrease in contractor vacancies suggests that employers are now prioritising long-term workforce plans, rather than short term gap-plugging, as we enter the new financial year. This is most evident within financial services, where it is apparent that the recent frenzy of temporary hiring, which created a temporary boom in demand for contractors, has now subsided to be replaced with more stable hiring activity until employers have a firmer idea of their plans post-Brexit.”

Click to download

Source: Apsco.org

Our comprehensive guide to UK security clearance and a free DV checklist

UK Security Clearance is a crucial process that plays a significant role in safeguarding national security, ensuring the protection of sensitive information, and maintaining the integrity of critical institutions and organisations within the United Kingdom. It is a comprehensive evaluation and verification process carried out by government agencies to assess the suitability of individuals who require access to classified information or sensitive areas.

Brief contents summary:

1. What is Security Clearance
2. Types of Security Clearance
3. Can I only apply if I have a spotless history?
4. How long is Security Clearance valid for?
5. Is my application kept confidential?
6. How do I get my first Security Cleared job?
7. Free DV preparation checklist download

What is Security Clearance?

Security Clearance is granted as proof of an individual’s suitability to access sensitive and classified information without posing risk to national security.  It is a protection measure and obtaining the SC status requires that an individual undergoes a vetting process. This process will differ depending on the level of clearance required for the particular role, with the higher levels of access requiring a highly rigorous vetting process. The process raises many questions which is why we have compiled this comprehensive guide to UK Security Clearance. If you are looking into becoming DV-cleared, our free downloadable checklist at the end of this article provides you with a breakdown of all the personal information you need to have ready before you begin applying.

IT professionals who hold Security Clearance are in very high demand and tend to receive higher remuneration than their non-SC-cleared counterparts. An SC Clearance increases future employment opportunities as it serves as a strong selling point, even for jobs that don’t explicitly require Security Clearance.

Why do I need a Sponsor?

Obtaining Security Clearance is determined by the employing organisation, which sponsors the candidate’s vetting process for the specific role.

Control, transparency, and efficient resource utilization are key factors in the Security Clearance process. A sponsor verifies BPSS and the need for higher clearance, streamlining the otherwise bureaucratic and resource-draining process.

For non-SC-cleared candidates, there is fierce competition to secure a role that provides sponsorship for obtaining Security Clearance. Landing a job offer from a sponsoring company is the crucial first step, as it enables progression and a career in SC jobs. However, it creates a catch-22 situation: you need Security Clearance for an SC job, but you can’t apply without a sponsor.

How long is Security Clearance valid?

Once obtained, Security Clearance lasts for 5 years for contractors and 10 years for permanent candidates. DV clearance is held for 7 years with a reinvestigation conducted after 5 years. If an individual decides to change jobs while their SC clearance still has time left on it, they are free to apply for other roles which require SC clearance. At this point they will not need to undergo the vetting process; they will be able to begin the work immediately. This is especially useful for contract roles which often require people to start as soon as possible due to the critical nature of the job which needs completing.

Different types of Security Clearance

Security Clearance in the UK is divided into four levels.

• Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)
• Security Check (SC)
• Counter-Terrorism Check (CTC)
• Developed Vetting (DV)

Baseline Personnel Security Standard

Baseline Personnel Security Standard is the initial mandatory check for individuals with access to Government assets. While it doesn’t provide access to classified information, progressing to higher clearance levels requires fulfilling BPSS requirements. The BPSS comprises identity checks – ID confirmation and right to work, employment checks for the last 3 years and a basic disclosure criminal record check.

Counter-Terrorism Check or CTC

Counter-Terrorism Check or CTC is used to check whether individuals have connections to terrorist organisations and examine the level to which they are vulnerable to pressure from such groups. This is checked on a personal level as well as a professional.  This clearance is required for anyone who has access to material that may be targeted by terrorist groups, anyone who works in close proximity to public figures and anyone who has unrestricted access to certain establishments.

Security Check or SC

Security Check or SC is the most common type of security clearance. It is conducted for candidates that are entering jobs which would give them access to secret, and occasionally, top-secret government assets. This check includes going through MI5 records, doing credit checks, checking reports from previous employers and potentially a face-to-face interview. The candidate needs to have been a resident of the UK for at least 5 years.  SC is transferable between different Government departments and it covers a variety of jobs.

Obtaining SC includes the following steps:

• BPSS clearance
• Completion of an SC questionnaire
• Departmental/Company Records Check
• Criminal Record Check
• Credit Reference Check and Security Service Check
• Security Service Check

Developed Vetting or DV

Developed Vetting or DV is the highest level of security clearance available in the UK and therefore requires the most rigorous process. This is required for individuals with frequent/unrestricted access to Top Secret files or those whose job has the potential to cause similar devastation/damage through means other than exposing such files

This process requires the applicant to volunteer a large amount of personal information as it is of utmost importance that a full picture of the individual is painted in order to guarantee reliability and establish confidence. However, it is not an interrogation and should not feel like one. If the applicant would find such a process unacceptably intrusive it might be worth reconsidering applying for DV clearance, as there is no way to avoid it.

Here are some of the main topics that tend to get covered in the interview:

Can I only apply if I have a spotless history?

While the process is rigorous and highly detailed, the eligibility criteria are fairly widely encompassing. At a basic level, the applicant needs to have been a resident in the UK for at least 10 consecutive years. For some roles, especially national intelligence ones, individuals must be British Citizens to apply. While the vetting process includes examining the applicant’s criminal record, financial situation and things like a history of substance abuse; this should not be a problem for most professionals. And in some cases, Security Clearance can be granted to individuals despite having a criminal conviction, although this is not standard practice and should not be something an individual with an obviously questionable history relies on.

The MI5 clearly states that:

“Vetting officers are not employed to make moral judgements – they expect that people will have had varied life experiences and they will take a realistic view of modern life and its pressures. They are aware that life can be complicated and any difficulties that you have experienced will be carefully considered.”

The vetting process is conducted by highly experienced vetting officers who examine each application on a case-by-case basis, so individuals can be confident that their application process will be conducted with utmost care and attention.

It’s all about honesty

Honesty is crucial in the application process. While it may be tempting to embellish or omit details, we strongly advise against it. Security Clearance is a testament to one’s integrity and trustworthiness in handling sensitive information. Approaching the process without integrity will backfire. Thorough background checks, especially for higher clearance levels, can uncover hidden information, jeopardizing the applicant’s chances of obtaining SC clearance.

Confidentiality

United Kingdom Security Vetting (USKV) take privacy and confidentiality very seriously – not just their own but also that of the applicants.

They abide by the Data Protection Act 1998 and ensure that personal data is kept in a lawful manner; that it remains accurate, up to date and used for no other purpose apart from national security vetting.  Each questionnaire that is to be completed as part of the vetting process clearly outlines how the data provided will be used.

Vetting records are usually kept by the UKSV for the duration of the individual’s working life. Privacy and security standards are upheld throughout, regardless of whether the individual holds a ‘live’ security clearance and irrespective of how sensitive or not the data might be.

Any personal information collected is handled with extremely strict confidence. Only if serious risks are identified – and this is an incredibly small number of cases – would the case be discussed with relevant security authorities.  In a few cases, some information might be shared with line management with the goal of managing risk. In these scenarios, the applicant’s permission will always be asked for prior to doing this.

How do I get my first SC job?

To overcome the “Catch 22” situation of obtaining your first SC-cleared job, there are proven strategies to enter the field.

While going for a contract SC role may seem like a good option to gain clearance and then move on to your desired job, the most successful path to building a Security Cleared career is actually starting in a permanent SC role.

The challenge with contract SC roles is finding an employer willing to wait for the lengthy clearance process. Contract positions are often short-term and time-sensitive, requiring individuals with existing clearances to start immediately. Delays of weeks or months, common with SC and DV clearances, are simply not feasible.

Permanent roles, on the other hand, naturally involve a delay between the application, job offer, and start date, regardless of whether SC is required. Factors such as notice periods, budget constraints, and other variables affect the start date. Organisations seeking permanent SC candidates are more likely to wait for the clearance process, especially if the applicant possesses a strong background and relevant experience. These organisations value the SC clearance as it allows them to benefit from the individual’s expertise.

Therefore, targeting permanent SC roles provides a greater likelihood of finding employers willing to wait for clearance, offering a viable pathway into the Security Cleared career you desire.

Keen to get going?

Obtaining higher-level clearance is laborious, but Security Cleared work offers job satisfaction and access to valuable information. At Certes, we collaborate with public sector organizations and suppliers seeking cleared candidates. Explore our current job openings and contact us for advice.

Developed Vetting preparation checklist

Follow the link to download your FREE Developed Vetting preparation checklist. It outlines all the documents and personal information you will need for your application – our recommendation is to get this ready before you begin.

At the beginning of the new year, companies have a chance to overview the events of the past year, both the good and the bad

Observing the changes an industry experienced during 2016 can help a company be prepared for 2017. This will inevitably be the case when it comes to the IT market, as there were several more notable events and trends that will help predict what the market will focus on in the coming year.

Ransomware: the digital epidemic of 2016

Data has become an extremely valuable and sought after commodity which is by and large as a result of organisations shifting towards data-driven economies.

During 2016 we saw ransomware rise to a digital epidemic of note. Ransomware has become hugely prevalent in all industries over the past 12 months, and has helped to reveal the true nature of those behind ransomware attacks.

Ransomware cyber criminals are thorough in their research when picking targets. They exhibit meticulous planning, an inside knowledge of their targets and an insight into the power of inciting fear into their victims.

Not only did the number of ransomware attacks see a drastic increase during 2016, there was also a development in the so-called ‘target market’, or typical victim profile.

The traditional target for ransomware attacks were the home users, consumers and individuals who are typically not as well informed about cybercrime and malware.

They more often than not don’t have the right disaster-recovery systems in place, and can be more willing to pay a ransom to get their personal family photos and records back.

Evolving beyond security software

Over time, there has been a steady increase in the targeting of businesses and larger corporations with highly focused, personalised attacks.

Ransomware attacks are based on extensive research of each intended victim, an individual’s web-presence can be used against them in order to ensure interaction with the ransomware activation components.

For instance, very personalised but infected email attachments are sent to individuals, making it very difficult to determine whether it is legitimate or a threat. For this reason, security software is struggling more and more to pick up indicators of compromise.

Once your data is encrypted by ransomware there is very little that you can do, and paying the ransom won’t guarantee that you receive any data back. Paying will only encourage the cyber criminals to continue the ransomware distribution and will inadvertently create a market for ransomware.

Yet, more often than not, victims of ransomware simply don’t have any other choice but to pay. There has been a substantial amount of attacks on the medical and educational industries in 2016.

One can only envision that an attack on any medical industry is a recipe for disaster. Without access to patient data lives are at risk, and paying the ransom in order to gain access to data could literally be a matter of life and death.

What can you do to prepare?

Backup your data. It really is as simple as taking a data management approach which includes a disaster recovery plan.

The FBI’s tips for a business continuity plan that helps combat the effects of ransomware is to make regular backups of data, verify the integrity of backups frequently and mirror backups to a secure off-site server.

Picking a reliable data backup software provider, that tailors for your industry whether you are working in education, health or business, could be the difference between losing your data permanently or being back to working order within hours.

How will 2017 look for the industry?

In the wake of the ransomware epidemic, peace of mind, and trust in your data security service provider will be one of the strongest trends in 2017.

There will undoubtedly be a dip in digital trust due to the overwhelming stranglehold ransomware had over the data security market in 2016.

The lack of digital trust will result in a struggle with delivering information management and data security best practices.

However, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) will provide a sturdy foundation to build upon.

Even post-Brexit, UK organisations must adopt rigorous data security and protection laws and still comply with the EU’s GDPR regulation, or else trade via data flow with Europe will be out of the question.

We can expect to see many organisations hurrying to get into compliance with the new regulations. If you operate as a data backup service provider it will be very important that you are able to grant customers full access to their data whenever they need it.

Platform ecosystems

In order to accommodate the ever expanding growth of data, platform ecosystems will begin to emerge. Expect to see data-backup, disaster recovery strategies, archiving, security and instant access being integrated into platform ecosystems in order to provide best practices.

Platform-based business models will be the innovation of the digital economy as it not only complies to data laws and legislation, but provides the customer with an ethical offering in order to secure digital trust.

Source: Information-age.com

Law firms are taking steps into welcoming IT and implementing new technologies which are predicted to see a high increase in the next decade. This will see many changes in the legal sector with workflow and storage being vastly improved.

Having a virtual office and a method to archive documents are the biggest impact that new technologies would have on law firms. 

Although, many firms in the legal sector are discouraged in adopting new technologies with a large portion of firms stating that they are 'Reluctant to change operating processes', 'Overly cautious [about] adopting new technologies' and have 'Security concerns'. Only a small amount of firms feel that the cost and time associated with new technology is a hurdle.

However, despite some of the reluctancy to adopt new technologies, law firms will see benefits and major changes to how they operate within the next 10 years, such as:

• Paperless offices
• Cloud based applications as the primary application
• Virtual offices and remote employees as the new norm
• Increased legal process outsourcing
• Law library replaced with e-books

For more information, read New Technologies Disrupting The Legal Sector from Raconteur. 

Source: Raconteur

In short, although there is a lot of doom and gloom out there at the moment, and whilst some companies hiring strategies are on hold, the majority of our clients are business as usual. And our client base is extremely diverse, ranging from start-up Fintech companies to the government.

Why? Well, the answer to this is quite simple…evolve or die and as a result with cloud computing and the ever enhancing digital landscape companies are focussing heavily in IT transformation, and will continue to do so.

As a Recruiter focussing on IT Architecture and Strategy, I haven’t seen any decline in demand for both permanent and interim consultants, and our market research suggests that demand will only increase as more and more small to medium sized business focus more on IT and the profitability it can add to a company when done right.

So I would like to conclude…it is business as usual, it has to be business as usual so chin up and let’s look forward to the exciting innovations yet to come.

– Amir

For more information on the IT Architecture market, contact Amir Rasool.