Cybersecurity talent is getting difficult to find. And when it comes to technologies such as secure access service edge (SASE), it’s even harder. This emerging and evolving field is growing at an annual rate of 32%, according to Gartner.

In those cases where no one responds to job postings for qualified and trained SASE and SD-WAN positions, or where no one is qualified, it’s time to figure out how to grow your own talent.

Keatron Evans, principal cybersecurity advisor for Infosec Institute, part of Cengage Work, is a fan of supplementing cybersecurity hiring by developing talent from within.

“While we’ve seen IT leaders implement a number of strategies, there is no tried-and-true method for developing and hiring IT talent because the skills profile changes too frequently,” said Evans. “What we’ve seen innovative organizations do is upskill current employees.”

1. Campus recruiting for cybersecurity talent

For most organizations the smartest way to recruit is by forming partnerships with local colleges or showing up at them regularly and engaging with them in various programs.

“A lot of schools are investing heavily in cybersecurity programs and are in the perfect position to educate their students on the latest skill sets,” said Mauricio Sanchez, an analyst at Dell’Oro Group.

But that entails active involvement with those schools to ensure they stay current concerning the skills that are most needed. That involvement might go as far as offering speakers for special events about the latest technologies, providing students with tours of your facility and giving the college feedback on the skills graduates were missing when they came to work for you.

2. Internships and apprenticeships

Internships offered to college students are a workable way to build interest in working for you. Alternatively, Evans suggested apprenticeships as a tool to build talent. These can be organized by apprenticing people internally or via various programs offered by colleges and training institutes. There are also train-to-hire programs that offer a way to get people grooved in on specific security duties rapidly.

3. Look for cybersecurity skills, not diplomas

There are many in cybersecurity possessing degrees and other diplomas who are among the great minds in the field. But that is not always the case. A degree may not equate to ability in the workplace. Hence, educational requirements are becoming less important in security compared to being able to get the job done.

“Today, highly skilled technical positions no longer require a college or advanced degree,” said Laura Durfee, director of talent acquisition, DNSFilter. “Instead, employers are prioritizing skills and real-world experience over time spent in the classroom. It’s become more about the passion, desire and personalities that have the interest and drive to work in the field, not the doctoral degree and certifications.”

4. Old dogs, new cyber tricks

Sanchez advised those interested in building their candidate pipeline to look internally and eliminate fixed opinions about who is suitable for what. For example, older personnel may unconsciously be ignored by younger HR personnel as being too set in their ways.

“Some say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but good networking and security pros are always seeking to learn and challenge themselves,” said Sanchez. “Such individuals make prime material to move across the aisle and go from networking to security and vice versa.”

Particularly with SASE becoming so popular, willing resources may well be under your nose. Offering to train current security or networking specialists in any missing elements of software-defined networking or cybersecurity could lead to a flood of internal applicants.

5. Don’t expect overnight miracles, invest in the future

Those with the most pressing cybersecurity hiring demands are unlikely to invest in the future. This could be a big mistake. No sooner is the latest cyber personnel flap dealt with when another emerges. Thus, it’s best to balance short-term recruit desperation with a longer-term view. That’s where grow-your-own comes into its own.

“Building internally can appear slow and costly, but it produces a fresh batch of trained resources,” said Fred Pond, a distinguished fellow at research firm Avasant.

6. Build an attractive culture

A vibrant internal culture enables internal talent to blossom and achieve its full potential. But how do you create one? Especially in this era of work from home, people are hired and then often don’t meet their colleagues for months, if they ever do.

“When everyone was in the same room day in and day out prepandemic, it was a lot easier for teams to gel and to develop a team culture,” said Sanchez.

However, he doesn’t believe that hybrid work and cohesive teams are mutually exclusive. Proactively nurturing team culture can be done by getting everyone together periodically to create that connective tissue between the team that is so crucial. By building a team in today’s hybrid world, people become more willing to learn from each other, form mentor relations, advise others on the type of training they should take and generally take an interest in developing internal talent to its fullest extent.

“Otherwise, the security team may devolve into individual mercenaries that in times of crises aren’t an effective team,” said Sanchez.