Communication Skills and Cybersecurity
Let’s face it: most people don’t want to work a help desk job, and I don’t blame them. The hours can be grueling, end users can be rude or frustrating, and the need to keep the call and ticket queues clear adds to the many other factors that contribute to stress.
But the help desk, to many, is a steppingstone to a different path. I learned more in my year working the help desk than I did the rest of my 12-year career.
I believe it's underrated because it’s a blind spot in our own definition of the job we do. The work we do has been defined by people who run computers. And that's great—we provide a service to a customer that is valuable, necessary and lasts over time. But why would we not also apply that same mentality to the other side of our customers’ businesses?
If we only pursue the IT side of the business, we're missing out on more than half the opportunities with a single customer. Many analysts have predicted that billions of new connected devices will use the internet and share information in real time in just the next few years; those billions of devices represent economic opportunity for your company. We need to open our eyes and ask, “What else are our customers doing that's connected to the internet?”
Why?
Because at the end of the day, the goal is to protect end users, and having an open line of communication with the people who are most impacted by cyber-criminals is crucial. All of the tech knowhow in the world doesn’t matter if you can’t effectively communicate the hows and whys of cybersecurity to the true first line of defense – the person sitting at a keyboard with something to lose, a telephone and an ever-flowing stream of email.
Learning how to effectively communicate with others is a life skill. No amount of college courses or IT certifications can substitute for real-life experience. Even though many may have poured tons of money into a bachelor’s or master’s degree in cyber-defense, that’s not a ticket to skip crucial steps in the world of IT.
More Info: comptia a+ description
But the help desk, to many, is a steppingstone to a different path. I learned more in my year working the help desk than I did the rest of my 12-year career.
I believe it's underrated because it’s a blind spot in our own definition of the job we do. The work we do has been defined by people who run computers. And that's great—we provide a service to a customer that is valuable, necessary and lasts over time. But why would we not also apply that same mentality to the other side of our customers’ businesses?
If we only pursue the IT side of the business, we're missing out on more than half the opportunities with a single customer. Many analysts have predicted that billions of new connected devices will use the internet and share information in real time in just the next few years; those billions of devices represent economic opportunity for your company. We need to open our eyes and ask, “What else are our customers doing that's connected to the internet?”
Why?
Because at the end of the day, the goal is to protect end users, and having an open line of communication with the people who are most impacted by cyber-criminals is crucial. All of the tech knowhow in the world doesn’t matter if you can’t effectively communicate the hows and whys of cybersecurity to the true first line of defense – the person sitting at a keyboard with something to lose, a telephone and an ever-flowing stream of email.
Learning how to effectively communicate with others is a life skill. No amount of college courses or IT certifications can substitute for real-life experience. Even though many may have poured tons of money into a bachelor’s or master’s degree in cyber-defense, that’s not a ticket to skip crucial steps in the world of IT.
More Info: comptia a+ description
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