In just a few short years, cyber security went from a science fiction plot to an urgent reality. Right now, there are 20,000 open jobs in cyber and IT fields and employers searching for the right people to fill them. And we need them; it costs American businesses an average of $1.3 million to recover from a cyber attack.
The Maryland Chamber of Commerce sits on the Governor’s Workforce Development Board Task Force on Cybersecurity and Information Technology. That task force is working to expand the state’s cyber workforce capabilities to meet Maryland employers’ and workers’ needs.
On Dec. 13, the task force will meet to discuss five key areas:
- opportunities to grow the state’s economy via computer science and IT
- pathways to meet identified computing field workforce needs
- skills and challenges for the talent pipeline
- business community investment in the IT workforce
- innovative, sustainable approaches to gender and racial disparities in STEM fields
Want to help close that gender gap?
Want to avoid cyber trouble in your organization?
Keep an eye out for two cyber-focused Chamber events in the coming months. The first will address how small- and midsized businesses can protect themselves and their customers from hacking and other intrusions. Did you know 95 percent of computer hacks happen because of a staff security error? If you don’t want to be a statistic, you’ll want to be at this event.
The second event explores the future of money. Bitcoin is the talk of Wall Street. We’ll explore the potential positive and negative impacts of this cryptocurrency, and how its block chains security mechanism actually works.
To you, your colleagues, and your families:
Happy Thanksgiving
. The Chamber team has so much to be thankful for this year, and that includes you. Be safe and enjoy this beautiful holiday!
