Deepening the bench

Computerworld says that security specialists will be in hot demand in 2006 – no, really?! Hardly surprising, given the relentless pace at which internet threats are developing. What’s interesting is how supply and demand are currently working – salaries offered to security specialists are lower than of late because of the large number of people who have gained certifications in the past couple of years. Inevitably, these highs and lows will smooth out over time, but in the short term it means that interviews for security posts are going to get tougher as more people vie for each post. That’s hard luck for candidates but good news for the IT governance cause (assuming that firms are sifting for the right qualities) – the better the quality of mid level recruit now, the deeper the bench of talent when it comes to selecting the next generation of CIOs who can genuinely champion IT governance in the boardroom.