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    • Cybersecurity Arena Faces Growing Shortage of Qualified Professionals Author: Troy Mattern

      Published Apr 26 2019, 4:18 PM by Paul Jeffs

      Cyber crime continues to proliferate across the globe with the number of data breaches on an upward trend. The result is an immense demand for skilled security professionals to address growing concerns. Unfortunately, the availability of security experts is a challenge for organisations and agencies – and is only expected to get worse. Already, the cybersecurity workforce gap is on pace to hit three million globally.

      This growing gap will have a significant impact on the industry. Organisations who find themselves with a shortage of security personnel are at risk of slowed adoption and implementation of the critical tools needed for cybersecurity efforts – opening them up to potential breaches and attacks. When looking at effectively securing infrastructure, 87 percent of companies believe that hiring and retaining qualified security professionals is critical.

      Yet, despite efforts to increase hiring and fill needed positions, demand continues to outpace supply. Today’s organisations face a staffing problem that is more logistical than financial – with security budgets increasing but talent recruitment continuing to be a challenge.

      The growing workforce shortage is being driven by a lack of qualified personnel – with a large segment of the available workforce lacking the requisite skills that enterprises need. Sixty-four percent of organisations report that only half of their applicants are qualified for an open security position – with technical skills being the biggest existing skills gap. For public safety and government agencies, there is the additional challenge of competing with private, enterprise organisations that can be more attractive to potential talent.

      Unfortunately, traditional recruitment methods are falling short. It is not uncommon for cybersecurity workers to arrive at their roles through unconventional paths. In fact, 87 percent of current professionals did not start their careers in cybersecurity – but rather moved into the field from a wide variety of other professions including information technology. Further compounding the issue is a lack of training, with only three of the top 50 US university computer science programs requiring cybersecurity coursework.

      In order to close the gap, hiring managers need to explore new recruitment and development channels and find innovative strategies and techniques to engage potential professionals. This can include professional development programs, training and apprenticeships to grow security talent.

      Filling the long-term, growing cybersecurity skills gap is critical. But organisations have a need for professionals now. For companies in need of security expertise, partnering with an organisation that can provide cybersecurity support and services may be the solution. These organisations are prepared to work with companies to safeguard their critical communication networks and technologies and are trained to stay actively informed of the rapidly changing landscape of security threats and compliance requirements. Read the full Motorola Solutions White Paper to learn more about the need for cybersecurity experts.

      White Paper

      You can learn more about our cybersecurity solutions at www.motorolasolutions.com/cybersecurity

       

      Troy

       

      Troy Mattern is Vice President of Cybersecurity Products and Services at Motorola Solutions.

      Troy is on LinkedIn

       

      This post was originally published in our sister blog for North America.

      Follow @MotSolsEMEA on Twitter and look out for #ThinkPublicSafety

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    • How technology is improving frontline police officer safety Author: Tunde Williams

      Published Apr 05 2019, 2:07 PM by Paul Jeffs

      Every 6 minutes, a police officer in the UK presses their radio’s emergency button. With today’s TETRA digital radio technology, that single button press sets off a series of life-saving and automated actions:

      1. The officer’s location is shared with the control room
      2. The radio is assigned to an emergency talkgroup and given priority access to the network
      3. The radio’s microphone is activated, allowing colleagues to hear what’s happening

      It goes without saying that for officers on the frontline, the two-way radio is their communications lifeline.  Frontline safety is a continuum and for over 90 years Motorola Solutions has been at the forefront of innovation, advancing mission-critical radio technology and pioneering new areas of cognitive research that explore human performance in high-stress environments.

      As this new video highlights, technology advancement promises to further enhance the safety of frontline teams while also improving the effectiveness of incident response.

      Multi-constellation satellite support will help reduce incident response times
      A recent study by Loughborough University(1) highlighted achievable reductions in response times based on identifying the closest available resource. That study also showed potential improvements in response performance, from 94% to 97%, through the efficient use of frontline resources.

      An accurate personnel positioning mechanism is vital to realising faster incident response. Modern tracking technologies that are integrated in next generation TETRA radios are able to increase positioning accuracy through the use of more than one Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). In particular, the GPS-GLONASS dual-GNSS receiver can enable a location accuracy of less than 2m - compared with a typical accuracy of ~10m for a GPS single-GNSS system. The high positioning accuracy provided by combined GPS-GLONASS receivers is crucial in urban settings in particular, as it could help determine which side of a street an officer in need of help is situated, and help to ensure a faster response.

      Intelligent emergency alerting will improve officer safety in weak coverage areas
      Many police forces deploy TETRA repeater gateways to ensure communications in areas with limited coverage such as in remote rural locations and indoor environments.  Repeater gateways implementations are typically based on mobile (vehicle) radios and may not always be available during an incident response.

      For example, consider a police officer on a foot chase which leads into an underground car park.  While attempting to make an arrest, the suspect becomes violent and the officer tries to call for support using his radio. In such situations, lack of network coverage would put the officer’s personal safety at risk. To enhance personal safety, Motorola Solutions has developed an intelligent emergency alerting technology that will allow an emergency alert to be sent via direct mode (radio-to-radio communication) when a network signal is not present. As Motorola Solutions TETRA radios can be configured to scan both trunked mode talkgroups and direct mode talkgroups, colleagues within direct-mode range can receive the emergency alert and provide critical support to that officer. 

      Advanced noise suppression will enhance frontline communications
      Windy conditions and noisy environments, such as sporting events, can severely impact audio clarity, making it difficult for frontline officers to communicate effectively. While many officers are mandated to use ear-piece accessories for health and safety reasons, the radio’s microphone is often relied upon to transmit critical audio messages.

      Using noise suppression technology, the effects of wind and background noise can be minimised - resulting in improved audio intelligibility in difficult environments. To ensure high quality speech, Motorola Solutions has developed advanced noise suppression technology that also minimizes the effect of wind hitting the microphone. The end result is clearer communications and safer frontline officers.

      When selecting your next mission-critical TETRA radio, look for capabilities that enhance personal safety. We believe that safety is never too much.

      To find out more check out this video:

       

      …and visit our Frontline Safety website too:

      Frontline Safety

       

       

      Tunde Williams

      Tunde Williams is Head of Marketing for Europe, Middle-East and Africa

      Tunde is on LinkedIn

       

      Follow @MotSolsEMEA on Twitter and look out for #ThinkPublicSafety

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      References: (1) - S. Dunnett, J. Leigh, L. Jackson, (2018), Optimising police dispatch for incident response in real time,  Journal of the Operational Research Society

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