Intelligent CISO Issue 36 | Page 65

Gamification and skills enhancement is one of the key elements in keeping your cybersecurity teams emphatically involved in delivering on business outcomes in a passionate manner .
BUSINESS SURVEILLANCE skillset beyond the day-to-day service and project delivery conveyor belt ; promote skills enhancement workshops , take interest and ownership in the career development of SOC teams and create an environment where they can compete against one another to foster learning , growth and ultimately , innovation .
3 . Optimise physical SOC workspace
Under normal circumstances , security teams spend a lot of time in the SOC , and with the outlook gradually shifting towards post-pandemic normality , many organisations will be finalising their longterm options . Whether remote working remains part of SOC working culture is a decision for each leadership team , but those who retain shared working environments should understand they play a role in staff retention . For example , the design of a shared SOC space should , ideally , seek input from each member . This not only helps ensure all voices and ideas are heard , but can also result in environments that improve collaboration , while the provision of facilities such as break rooms , outdoor areas and conference rooms can do a lot to boost employee morale .
4 . Collaborate effectively to minimise the risk of burnout
Many security professionals across the industry will be familiar with the challenge of evaluating thousands of alerts a day trying to identify actual incidents – it ’ s this kind of labourintensive work that often brings with it the threat of burnout . Addressing this very real risk to staff retention has led many SOCs to invest in Machine Learning-based user and entity behaviour analytics ( UEBA ) to help ensure that malicious activity is not

Gamification and skills enhancement is one of the key elements in keeping your cybersecurity teams emphatically involved in delivering on business outcomes in a passionate manner .

overlooked , lessen the occurrences of false positives and reduce stress by freeing up overloaded security teams .
In Exabeam ’ s 2020 State of the SOC Report , over 60 % of respondents said teamwork was the most important soft skill . Indeed , effective teamwork across security operations has been shown to streamline processes and help deliver training for new employees – always an important factor in retaining new talent . The problem is , security teams can often be siloed from the rest of company operations , whereas strengthening working relationships with IT , development and operations can help improve response times and create better cooperation even among a distributed workforce . As a result , lines of communication should be established to foster relationships between security staff and the wider organisation overall .
A strong sense of community and belonging can help contribute to a decision about whether to remain with an employer over the long-term . u www . intelligentciso . com
65