Reference no: EM132305895

Assignment

You are working for the Chief of Staff (CoS) for a newly elected Governor. The governor asked the CoS to research and prepare a 5 to 7 paragraph background briefing (backgrounder) that addresses the question below. This background briefing will be used to help prepare the Governor and his appointed cybersecurity director as they answer questions from the press and general public.

As governor, how will your administration improve cybersecurity for the state's Critical Infrastructures?

The CoS has asked you to research and prepare a draft for the background briefing. Your draft must provide enough information that the CoS and the Governor understand key terms that you will be using in your explanations. To that end, your draft briefing must answer the following questions:

•What is meant by "cybersecurity" for critical infrastructures?"

•What is meant by "Threats" (i.e. individual hackers, politically motivated hacktivists, criminal enterprises, and unfriendly "nation state" actors), countermeasures, and safeguards?

•What are the three most important actions that the governor's administration should take to help improve the security of critical infrastructures in the state? (You should identify and discuss these in greater detail than your response to the first two bullet points.)

Provide in-text citations and references for 3 or more authoritative sources. Put the reference list at the end of your posting.

Project : Solving the Cybersecurity Workforce Crisis

For this project, you will be researching and reporting on the cybersecurity workforce crisis as it affects state governments. Your audience will be the members of an organization for state government officials such as the National Governor's Association and the National Association of State Chief Information Officers. The results of your research project will be used to help develop a one-day workshop on strategies for developing and growing the cybersecurity workforce at the state government level.

Research:

1. Read / Review the Week 5 readings.

2. Research authoritative sources which discuss the reasons why the cybersecurity workforce crisis exists.

3. Review the best practice recommendations from the NICE report. Select three to five best practices which state governments could benefit from implementing.

4. Review alternative recommendations for attracting and retaining qualified talent (workers) to a state or region. Select 3 or more which you believe would be beneficial for state government hiring efforts for cybersecurity personnel.

a. 7 Ways to Attract and Retain Talent (without having to compete on salaries)

b. Government Needs to Rethink How They Attract IT Talent

c. Desperate for Cybersecurity Workers, States Help Build the Next Generation

d. About Good Neighbor Next Door (ask yourself if this program or something similar should be extended to cybersecurity personnel)

5. A separate closing section in which you summarize your research and recommendations.

Write:

Write a three to four page research report which includes a summary of your research, findings, and recommendations. At a minimum, your paper must include the following:

1. An introduction or overview of the cybersecurity workforce issues which impact State governments. This overview should address the political, economic, socio-cultural (including education), and technological factors which contribute to the perceived lack of qualified cybersecurity workers. This introduction should be suitable for an executive audience.

2. A separate section which addresses three to five specific reasons why states have difficulty hiring a sufficient number of trained and qualified cybersecurity workers for positions in state agencies and offices.

3. A separate section which addresses three to five specific "non-cybersecurity" reasons why a workforce shortage affecting state governments may currently exist.Consider and discuss whether or not the workforce shortage arises out of state budget problems rather than training and education or salary.

4. A recommendations section which identifies and discussesat least five training, education, marketing or hiring actions which state governments could take to attract cybersecurity talent and reduce or alleviate a cybersecurity workforce shortage for trained and qualified cybersecurity personnel. These recommendations should include several alternative practices which deemphasize salary.

5. A separate Summary section in which you present a summary of your research and recommendations.