CYBER AND CLOUD
“ Our critical thinking skills , our ability to think outside the box to use our experience to think about what we did and learn are all really powerful ”
HENRY ROSE LEE INTER-GENERATIONAL DIVERSITY EXPERT AND SPEAKER
communications , learning from any fallouts and managing how people get together in teams to solve problems . The future according to the World Economic Forum is much more about human-centred capabilities , us thinking and talking . We might not even have the answer , but at least we ' re having the conversation . Our critical thinking skills , our ability to think outside the box to use our experience to think about what we did and learn are all really powerful . That ' s much more valuable than infrastructure and technology ,” she continued .
With these key skills needed within technology-focused industries , it is important for a diverse range of ages to be found within cyber security teams . Lee outlined , however , that many people aged 50-60 within the cyber industry are leaving or taking early retirement , and as a result heightening the already prevalent skills gap .
Digital natives within cyber security Looking at the younger professionals in the industry , with their digital native mindset , they respond to challenges and threats a lot differently . Being digitally native means this generation is a lot more technologically savvy and have skills in the field that would be second nature to them , but not to those older .
However , with a lack of experience , paired with a heightened sense of confidence in technology , younger people tend to be more vulnerable to certain attacks as they are more trusting in the internet and other technologies compared to their older counterparts .
This trust , and lack of experience , leaks into the cyber industry as Gernot Hacker , Sales Engineering Manager at Appgate explained : “ We only learn by errors . And this ties into ageism . If you burn your fingers , eventually you won ' t touch the hot plate . 15 people can tell you don ' t do that . Eventually , because
Baby boomers bring a multitude of advantages to cybersecurity teams due to their higher emotional intelligence and maturity . Research by Verssimo , Verhaeghen , Goldman , Weinstein and Ullman ( 2021 ) demonstrates that many cognitive abilities improve due to life experience . Baby boomers have also learned key skills that are vital to maximise cybersecurity strategies , such as the ability to think deeply through a challenge , avoid distraction and fully focus when required .
The advantages of having a multigenerational workforce have been recognised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ) research . It revealed that the inclusion of more older workers boosts productivity by around 11 %. They also discovered that 70 % of employers are looking to implement or explore the benefits of multigenerational workforce policies to support greater collaboration between older and younger employees .
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