Are you a freelancer or umbrella company contractor that works in the IT security sector? Well good news – you’re going to be very, very busy.
Or at least that’s what a new research study from Barclay Simpson says. The new market report for security and resilience for 2016 says that more than one out of every two firms have plans to ramp up their IT security contracting workforce over the course of this coming year.
Not only that, but these figures are increased from years past. 2014’s results saw that 52 per cent of firms didn’t have any plans to increase the number of security contractors they used. Meanwhile, that figure in the latest survey had dropped to 46 per cent – in other words, 54 per cent of firms said they would be increasing their IT security contractor headcounts.
So what’s driving the sudden interest in more IT security for firms and businesses in the UK? Well honestly companies are likely more concerned with the kinds of susceptibilities that emergent technologies might have when it comes to digital security. Advancements in cloud computing, the growing ubiquity of the Internet of Things, and the increasing number of high-visibility security breaches in the news as of late has likely put the fear of God into firms that are terrified of damaging data leaks.
This is of course great news for anyone in IT security at the moment, especially freelancers who know their way around cybersecurity countermeasures. Whatever that might be. I’m not really sure, as I just make sure my password isn’t something ridiculous like “12345,” my virus software and ad-blockers are updated, that I don’t visit any suspicious-looking websites, and that I don’t click on any attachments in my email unless I know where they’re coming from. Of course, this probably qualifies me for a major IT security gig as well, considering how most executives aren’t exactly the most savvy when it comes to getting hacked. See? Yuo too can earn something like £500 a day as an IT security contractor, just by not being a complete idiot!
There is of course more to cyber security than just that. IT security experts earn every penny they make and then some, especially when it comes to protecting the data of companies – and the data of regular folk like you and me. You wouldn’t want someone else gaining access to our collection of family photos on Google Drive, now would you?
