South Australia is leading the way in growing a strong cyber industry

The growing demand for workers in cyber security is opening up a range of exciting roles for people from all backgrounds.

The Covid-19 pandemic has given rise to an increase in demand for cyber security training and specialists, and South Australia is leading the way in growing a strong cyber industry.

The state is currently home to more than 25 cyber specialist companies, including the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre (A3C), a not-for-profit organisation funded by the State Government and based at Lot Fourteen. The centre has been tasked with increasing cyber awareness and building resilience across industry, including government, defence and SMEs.

For A3C CEO Mike Barber, a veteran of more than 30 years in IT, it’s an exciting time to be a part of the sector. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this level of activity,” he said. “I’ve worked with multinational companies and worked interstate but since coming back to Adelaide, I can see there’s a real buzz. The Lot Fourteen initiative is a central hub of activity and it’s producing great start-ups but it’s also attracting investment from other companies coming to South Australia.”

With these new companies comes a new demand for skilled employees. It is predicted that Australia will require about 17,000 more cybersecurity workers over the next five years – and not all in technical roles.

“It’s an exciting industry and it’s not all about sitting at a desk performing monitoring and analysis tasks,” Mr Barber said. “There are many different roles, such as cyber wardens, project management, network architecture, consulting, research and even human resources.

“Jobs can go from the very technical – scouring networks and finding hidden vulnerabilities – to normal day-to-day activities such as backups and patching.”

Mike Barber, Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre CEO. Picture: Russell Millard

Behavioural science is another area of opportunity for employees. “Most of the problems that happen in cyber space are not always caused by technology threats – at the end of the day people cause them, whether it’s intentionally or unintentionally. So someone with a psychology-type background would be a good fit to look at: is someone being compromised by others outside the organisation, do we need to increase our vetting process for new employees, are they selling off trade secrets?”

For those seeking the technical roles within cyber, South Australia’s universities and further education establishments offer a range of entry pathways, from bachelor and masters degrees in computer science to internships and micro-credentialing.

“The universities and other organisations are also looking at short courses that may offer a certificate in a certain area,” Mr Barber said. “That might be enough to get a job or internship, which can help you choose the right path for you.”

The range of businesses looking for qualified cyber security experts is also growing. “The defence sector is keen for people in this space, Research and science organisations are trying to come up with solutions, and larger companies are looking to hire lots of people because they’re concerned about their supply chains,” Mr Barber said.

“There’s a real focus on jobs growth in the hi-tech sector which means there are many vacancies. There is a huge opportunity for young people coming out of school to get into internships and fast-track their careers.”