The IT skills shortage is far from new – but it is getting worse for a number of reasons. The first is probably the most obvious. Businesses today cannot operate without technology. Systems and networks – and ensuring that employees have access to all the tools and platforms they need in order to do their jobs – lie at the centre of all operations. These systems need to be maintained and so the IT department has always had a critical role to play in supporting the business. Moreover, the role of IT has evolved into that of a ‘Business Technology Partner’ playing an increasingly significant role in business outcomes. The problem is that while the importance of IT has skyrocketed, the number of professionals in the space has not kept pace.

Then there are technology businesses themselves – companies whose products and services are technology-based. More and more brands are offering technology solutions and these businesses all need skilled IT experts. And when your solution is based on how skilled the people are in your teams, the war is on for talent.

Relying on IT to run your operations and move the needle forward also puts strain on the employees you do have. Many IT teams only have capacity to focus on the bare minimum, which means less time spent on innovation while also being completely overworked. The result? A high churn rate in a critical department that can’t afford to lose skilled individuals.

Current strategies are falling short

Hoping that more and more students will enter IT-related undergraduate degrees in computer science is not an adequate long-term strategy. IT degrees take four years to complete and the cost of university education is a large barrier to entry. On top of that, while critical skills are learnt, the landscape, software and workplace are constantly evolving, which means even degreed individuals need to keep their skills relevant.

Most importantly, even if every graduating student jumped into a full-time IT position after graduation, there still wouldn’t be enough qualified candidates to close the skills gap.

So, how do South African businesses widen the field? There are a few key strategies that businesses can invest in now to increase their IT skills capacity and to ensure that they remain ahead of the competitive curve. The goal is simple: Increase IT resources within the business, ensure employees are digitally savvy, even if they aren’t necessarily in the IT department, and keep on top of all new technology and software changes.

Here are a few key tactics to consider:

Work with an IT solutions partner

Outsourcing and the rise of the gig economy is proving that competitive businesses can enjoy all the benefits of highly skilled IT professionals and teams without necessarily recruiting and hiring teams themselves. Outsourced teams bring a range of skills, expertise and experience learnt through operating in different environments. There is an additional benefit as well – businesses that work with outsourced partners can access required skills on an as-needed basis, which means capacity is scaled up and down at need.

Partner with project specialists

Many IT needs are project specific. Investing in skills (particularly when the skills are scarce) can be costly and difficult to achieve. Project teams on the other hand bring all the skills required at a predictable cost that can be budgeted for. Highly skilled and experienced teams are inherently better equipped to implement projects on time, to budget – instead of allowing costs to balloon without the required technology and project objectives being met or adequate change management taking place.

Train, train, train

Technology platforms are continually changing and require consistent training. Similarly, on the back of these technology changes, new ways of working are required, and so SCRUM training and teaching teams how to be agile and adaptable is critical to getting the most out of your people and technology. Part of solving the technical skills scarcity crisis is helping employees and teams in general to become more confident working with technology. This will decrease the dependency on internal teams and allow businesses to work with outsourced partners in a more streamlined and successful way as well.

Invest in internships

South Africa’s NQF levels support technology training. Organisations are required to invest in internships. When you invest in technology skills training, you aren’t only thinking about your future workforce – you are giving previously disadvantaged South Africans access to the skills they need to navigate a digitally-reliant future. 

Recruit through partners that understand the technology landscape: For all internal skills and technology needs, work with a recruitment partner that understands the local technology landscape and works with partners actively increasing the tech skills of South Africans. Access to the local pool of talent is critical if you want to attract the best. 

Paracon is a respected industry brand who are skilled IT resourcing and Business Transformation Solutions specialists. We have the ability to procure and deploy skilled IT resources and provide customised business transformation solutions for different industries.

In a trend known as ‘social engineering’, cybercriminals are increasingly targeting people instead of software, hardware or network vulnerabilities. This means that employees are often the gap in the armour that cybercriminals exploit.
It’s therefore critical for businesses to regularly conduct cybersecurity training and refreshers and to ensure that their IT teams are able to support employees as they navigate increasingly dangerous cyber terrain.

What is social engineering?

Social engineering has existed since the first scam artist tried to defraud and steal from someone else. However, the digital age has turned social engineering into an extremely lucrative business. Social engineering can be used to scam an individual, or as a way to gain access to an entire network. In a nutshell, it is when scammers pretend to be from a legitimate business and try to manipulate individuals into giving them confidential information, such as passwords and bank information.

On an individual level, receiving an email, SMS or WhatsApp that looks like it comes from a legitimate body (such as your bank or the Revenue Services), but is in fact a link that allows malware (or malicious software) into your device is one form of social engineering. The malware gathers information until the cybercriminals can access your bank accounts and credit cards. A phone call asking you for your one time pin (OTP) is another form of social engineering. The scam artists often use urgency and fear to get people to open these unsafe links or share personal information.

The same tactics are used at a business level. Employees receive emails with suspicious links, and all it takes is one person to click on the phishing email for the hacker to gain access to the system. From there, they can spend weeks (or even months) slowly infiltrating the network, penetrating ever deeper as passwords are slowly cracked.

One of the best ways to keep your systems safe is to ensure that no one inadvertently lets a cybercriminal through the door.

Here are 7 simple tips that anyone can use to stay safe online:

1. Use strong, unique passphrases that are stored in a password manager

A passphrase is not a password. Instead, it’s a combination of two or more words, and the more the better. If possible, choose a phrase with a minimum of 10 characters, using a mix of capital letters, numbers, and special characters or symbols to increase the passphrase’s complexity.

Because you don’t want to use the same passphrase for multiple accounts, save your various unique passphrases in a password manager. Password managers are encrypted digital vaults protected by a single master password or passphrase, that can be used to secure sensitive data, credentials and your identity.

2. Use multi-factor authentication (MFA)

Two-factor or multi-factor authentication (MFA) gives you an extra layer of protection because it requires more than a password to access your accounts. With MFA enabled, you will need to additionally verify your identity with:

• Something you have (such as your phone)
• Something you know (such as a PIN, password, or secret question)
• Something you are (such as a biometric face scan or your fingerprint)
  With MFA, a hacker can’t access your accounts, applications or devices if they only have your password.

3. Connect securely

Passwords and additional authentication factors are important, but these can be breached if you’re connected to an unsecure WiFi system.

Avoid using public or untrusted WiFi networks, especially when accessing or providing sensitive information, such as when online shopping or accessing your bank accounts. For organisations, using a VPN service before off-site employees can access sensitive company data is also a good idea.

4. Secure devices and keep software up-to-date

Always secure your device with a password, biometric feature (your fingerprint or face recognition) or a PIN/passcode (without using your date of birth or bank PIN numbers). Ensure you lock your device when you are not using it or set it to automatically lock after a period of inactivity.

You should also only install software from trusted sources and enable automatic updates on your devices and systems. These updates are released to address security issues and fix bugs – both things that hackers will try to exploit. Install updates as soon as you are notified and remember to reboot your device as needed to ensure the update is applied.

5. Use secure websites

We all have a tendency to trust websites, but it is very easy for hackers to set up ‘spoof’ sites that look like the real thing, but aren’t.

Before you provide any sensitive information on a website, including any banking or personal information, make sure you are secure:

• Check that the domain name is correct – phishing websites will often create fake websites with a similar URL similar to the website it’s trying to spoof
• Make sure the URL starts with HTTPS – the ‘s’ stands for secure, which means the website is an encrypted channel.
• Double check there is a lock icon to the left of the URL. You can also click on the lock to find more information about the security of the website, including its security certificate.
• Don’t click through certificate warning messages without reading them. Pay attention to them – they are issued by your web browser and they are warning you that there are security issues on the site you have visited.

6. Be alert to phishing scams

Phishing is a form of social engineering, which is typically via email and often conveys a sense of urgency. It is currently one of the most prevalent forms of cyberattack because it is easy to do and can target multiple individuals at once with the hope that someone will take the bait.

Spear phishing is a more dangerous form of phishing in which the email message is customised according to information the cybercriminal has already obtained about an individual to make the message more credible.

Often, the one follows the other. A phishing scam could be used to breach the outer cyber defences of an organisation. The client data that is stolen through the breach is then used for more targeted ‘spear fishing’ attacks.

Some warning signs to help identify an email scam include:

• The email is unexpected or not personalised
• It has a sense of urgency
• There is poor grammar and spelling
• The URLs look unusual when you hover over them
• There is an unusual address or ‘Reply-To’ address
• You’re asked to enter personal information, click on a link, open an attachment, or download a file.

Become cyber aware

Cyber awareness has become a crucial skill for every employee, on both an individual and business level. When we consider how many employees connect to secure business WiFi through their devices, how individuals behave when they are away from their desks and company-supported devices and networks becomes as important as the organisation’s official cyber security protocols, firewalls and software. Cybersecurity awareness is no longer a nice to have – it’s a must have.