British Telecom is ramping up in the employee department to combat cyber security. In a press announcement, the U.K.-based telecom provider announced that it will recruit 900 cyber security professionals in an effort to protect its customers from cyber crime.
BT’s (News - Alert) efforts aren’t exclusive to the U.K.; the company plans to hire security specialists across Continental Europe, the Americas, the Middle-East and Asia-Pacific.
"A number of high-profile security and data breaches have dominated the headlines in recent months, and this has led to a surge in interest from both consumers and IT departments wanting to know how best they can protect themselves in the digital world," BT Security president Mark Hughes (News - Alert) in a press statement.
According to PwC, reported cyber crime has been higher in 2016, jumping from 4th to 2nd place among the most-reported types of economic crime. Not only is it the most reported crime, it’s costly. Fifty organizations said they had suffered losses over $5 million; of these, nearly a third reported cybercrime-related losses in excess of $100 million.
The threat from cyber crime isn’t exclusive to consumers; it targets citizens, businesses, and governments at a rapidly growing rate. Cyber criminal tools pose a direct threat to security and play an increasingly important role in facilitating most forms of organized crime and terrorism.
As cyber-criminals are using increasingly sophisticated threats that target specific computer systems in banks, financial institutions, telcos and other organizations, information technology and security professionals must be ready to face the constantly-evolving tactics and approaches used by criminal hackers.
It is no longer enough to rely on perimeter security alone. Businesses need a more dynamic technique that protects data throughout its lifecycle, from creation, through transit and storage to the point of consumption. The focus should be on protecting data, not controlling access to the data.
While awareness is the best line of defense against any type of threat, businesses still need to ensure they educate employees about the risk factors in their actions. Accepting that breaches will occur, businesses should treat cyber security as a business enabler: an investment that brings proportionate returns with the avoidance of significant compromise.
BT’s move is one step to combating cyber crimes. Those who are hired will get the training in BT’s Security Academy. The given areas to be covered under this training program include physical security, risk management, security operations, penetration testing, threat intelligence, and sales.
Edited by Rory J. Thompson