[July 28, 2011] Private Firms Poach IT Experts From Public Institutions Tweet Nairobi, Jul 28, 2011 (Business Daily/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- Poor pay for IT officers in the public sector charged with tackling cyber-crime has seen the government lose such talents to private sector living the country in a porous situation. In the past one year, Information Permanent Secretary Bitange Ndemo says, the government has lost eight officers that it trained to tackle cybercrime because they earn better in the private sector. The demand for IT systems security officers is being propelled by the increased automation of office services, especially by financial institutions and telecommunication firms who hold vital information concerning their clients. Ability to retain In the public sector, the lowest entry IT officer in charge of security tasks is said to earn Sh30,000 monthly while the highest paid gets Sh80,000. This is in stark contrast to their counterparts in the private sector who earn Sh110,000 at entry level and progress to as much as Sh250,000 with experience. "The greatest challenge we are facing is the ability to retain IT officers capable of tackling cyber-crime due to poor pay that has seen us lose a number to the private sector," said Dr Ndemo. This turnover arises as the government gears up to offer its services online and many companies and institutions embrace technology due to the improved telecommunication infrastructure in the country after linking it with three fibre optic networks-Seacom, TEAMs and EASSy. Bernard Owuor, a mobile banking expert who has been in charge of security systems for a number of firms says the pay packages offered by private sector are as a result of high demand for this talent in the country. "Currently all organisations that have automated their systems need them secured and this has created a huge demand for skilled personnel whereas the supply is still low," said Mr Owuor. The fight against cyber-crime is not isolated to Kenya. This week, experts from US, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania meet in Nairobi to look for ways on how they can work together to tackle the problem. Christopher Painter, an officer with the US cyber security department said, retention of staff is also a problem in US. However if a government chooses to take the issue of cyber security as a priority and give it the seriousness it deserves, this should not arise. "Private sector pays better than the public sector, making it very hard to retain the staff required, said Mr Painter, "However by prioritising and giving cyber security the attention it requires, we should be able to solve this problem". The Kenya Police and Kenya Revenue Authority websites have been attacked by hackers. Private sector has not been spared either, with several banks' websites falling victim. Global trends indicate that as more people use mobile phones to access Internet, hackers are shifting their targets from computers to mobile phones which are currently used in financial transactions. This trend has prompted the government to come up with a policy that requires mobile phone operators to submit security system audits to the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) to ensure that they meet high security standards. The industry regulator, Communication Commission of Kenya also said that it has invested Sh20 million in equipment that will connect to other region and global networks to monitor and tackle cyber-crime issues. It has also set up a computer incident response team to counter the rising cases of cyber-crime in the country. CCK's Director General Charles Njoroge said the team would coordinate the response to cyber-security incidents nationally and collaborate with relevant actors locally. "The growing technology space currently in the country, the era of faster and affordable Internet, and lower prices on gadgets like computers and mobile phones has led to rise of communities of interest," Mr Njoroge said."These developments present better channels through which cyber-criminals can reach unsuspecting users," he added. The Kenya Computer Incident Response Team (KE-CIRT) will help CCK protect consumers from attacks that might lead to loss of resources and force the country to retrogress. Internet use has exploded in the country with easier access, but the increased use of social networking tools such as blogsites, Facebook and Twitter has exposed individuals and businesses to more to attacks than before. "We have to shape up future environment by enhancing our research, development and education, and investing in leap-ahead technologies," he said. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]