Monday morning and RSA 2014 has not even properly started but there I was up on stage in front of a rather packed room. Feeling jet-lagged and wishing I had more caffeine in my system, I was glad that I was simply moderating a panel which included Dwayne Melancon, Andy Ellis, Jane Lute and Mike Assante.
The topic – “Closing the cyber security skills gap” where conversation flowed extremely well. I threw out a few questions and sat back and watched the show. TripWire had commissioned an artist to draw a visual representation of the conversation which turned out to be fantastic.
Most of the conversation escapes me because I was too worried about keeping the conversation flowing and staying on track to end on time. But luckily twitter captured most of the sentiments which are collated below:
DJ @J4vv4D spinning the decks at #RSAC & moderating panel on closing the cybersecurity skills gap. pic.twitter.com/K1sa5X5XUV
— Thom Langford (@ThomLangford) February 24, 2014
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Enjoyed #RSAC #SkillsGapSec panel, great content from @csoandy @ThatDwayne @jhlute @J4vv4D Food for thought to bring back.
— Jen Fox (@J_Fox) February 24, 2014
RT @jl_garibay: The final diagram in session #skillsgapsec at #RSAC. Amazing! pic.twitter.com/eVzfDC1V6y < good pic with good ideas
— Lauren (@lil_lost) February 24, 2014
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Favorite quote from #RSAC #SkillsGapSec panel, from @csoandy “Learn to be a kind human being” if you want to manage/lead others.
— Jen Fox (@J_Fox) February 24, 2014
“We’re writing job descriptions that are unrealistic.” –@CouncilOnCyber #skillsgapsec
— Andy Ellis (@csoandy) February 24, 2014
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@csoandy thx for sharing all the #skillsgapsec nuggets from #RSAC this year… it’s very important for our #InfoSec community!!
— Philip J Beyer (@pjbeyer) February 24, 2014
The completed mind map from #skillsgapsec at @RSAConference #RSAC pic.twitter.com/jFdARScupf
— Akamai Technologies (@Akamai) February 24, 2014
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How do you assess the skills of your team? – @csoandy: “give them a hard job, and see where they ask for help” #skillsgapsec #rsac
— Akamai Technologies (@Akamai) February 24, 2014
Team composition, competency mix makes an effective, sustainable team, says Mike Assante #skillsgapsec
— Council on Cyber (@CouncilonCyber) February 24, 2014
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Presente en RSA Conference 2014 en San Francisco California, en sesión #skillsgapsec . pic.twitter.com/JguCgXd2kS
— Jose Luis Garibay (@jl_garibay) February 24, 2014
What will close the cyber security skills gap? In one word: professionalize it! @jhlute #skillsgapsec #RSAC
— Cindy Valladares (@cindyv) February 24, 2014
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@csoandy ‘the ability to act as the security Rosetta Stone translating issues between business, infosec and developers’ #RSAC #skillsgapsec
— Ryan Barnett (@ryancbarnett) February 24, 2014
Are your skills satisfying compliance, or being meaningful? Look at security awareness as a touchstone. #skillsgapsec http://t.co/2boR867ywg
— Andy Ellis (@csoandy) February 24, 2014
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@ThatDwayne ‘curiosity, tenacity and not being afraid to jump in even if you don’t understand how to fix it’ #skillsgapsec #RSAC
— Cindy Valladares (@cindyv) February 24, 2014
@csoandy ‘be able to understand & solve problems by yourself. See an opportunity in biz & show value to your company’ #RSAC #skillsgapsec
— Tripwire, Inc. (@TripwireInc) February 24, 2014
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@jhlute ‘who are the real ninjas on ur team? We need to hire, test & train on standards’ #skillsgapsec #rsac http://t.co/PJ7qmP0FHV
— Cindy Valladares (@cindyv) February 24, 2014
Jane: major CEO rarely talks to his CIO, CISO because “I don’t speak dolphin” #skillsgapsec #RSAC
— Council on Cyber (@CouncilonCyber) February 24, 2014
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“This is a highly dynamic field… The cyber security field will always be changing and evolving” #skillsgapsec #rsac
— Akamai Technologies (@Akamai) February 24, 2014
@J4vv4D doing a great job moderating this #skillsgapsec panel
— Cindy Valladares (@cindyv) February 24, 2014
Javvad Malik 
These twitter post are actually great food for cyber security thoughts, it’s not really surprising that everyone enjoyed this event because a lot of concerns have been answered. Plus the illustration really captured the components of cyber security gap.
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“How do you assess the skills of your team? – @csoandy: “give them a hard job, and see where they ask for help””
I think that is great advice! The whole has to be greater than the sum of its parts and when your team is excellent at A but lacking in B then your team needs to be reorganized. A good team needs an even mix of skills.
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