Blueprint: Build the Best in Cyber Defense

Strategy 4: Hire AND Grow Quality Staff

May 29, 2023

Explore the critical 'People' factor in cybersecurity operations. Discover how to hire for quality over quantity, focusing on soft skills and diverse backgrounds. Learn about creating tailored training plans and fostering a supportive work culture to prevent burnout. The importance of ongoing mentorship and developing a culture of collaboration is emphasized. Strategies for mitigating knowledge gaps and balancing team size with operational needs are also discussed, ensuring your cybersecurity team remains resilient and effective.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Building Effective Cybersecurity Teams

01:39 • 17min

Embracing Diversity in Security Operations Hiring

18:25 • 3min

Diverse Paths to Cybersecurity

21:02 • 4min

Navigating Leadership in Security Operations

24:41 • 6min

Empowering Cybersecurity Teams Through Effective Training

30:42 • 14min

Cultivating a Positive Work Culture

44:47 • 8min

Balancing Passion and Well-being in Cybersecurity Teams

52:41 • 2min

Mitigating Single Points of Failure

54:53 • 6min

Optimizing SOC Staffing and Performance

01:01:23 • 13min

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In this episode we dive deep on the "People" factor of the SOC. Who should you hire, what skills should you hire for, what backgrounds are most likely to lead to success for your team? We also get into what happens after the hire - training, growth, and supporting your team in their skill and career development. This one is a must-listen for all the managers out there. We're all trying to build the highest skilled, most supportive team with low turnover, and the tips our authors bring to this episode on chapter 4 - "Hire AND Grow Quality Staff" will be crucial in that mission.

This special season of the Blueprint Podcast is taking a deep dive into MITRE’s 11 Strategies of a World-Class Cyber Security Operations Center. Each episode John will break down a chapter of the book with the book’s authors Kathryn Knerler, Ingrid Parker, and Carson Zimmerman.

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Support for the Blueprint podcast comes from the SANS Institute.

If you like the topics covered in this podcast and would like to learn more about blue team fundamentals such as host and network data collection, threat detection, alert triage, incident management, threat intelligence, and more, check out my new course SEC450: Blue Team Fundamentals.

This course is designed to bring attendees the information that every SOC analyst and blue team member needs to know to hit the ground running, including 15 labs that get you hands on with tools for threat intel, SIEM, incident management, automation and much more, this course has everything you need to launch your blue team career.

Check out the details at sansurl.com/450 Hope to see you in class!

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