The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, a program led by the U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology, has drafted a reference resource titled "NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework."
The framework is targeted toward employers, educators, cybersecurity staff, workforce trainers, technology providers and students considering a career in cybersecurity. NICE says this framework will provide organizations with a realistic image of what a strong cybersecurity workforce looks like and will act as a building block for organizations seeking cybersecurity training standards.
The framework defines more than 50 roles that fall within the cybersecurity field, some of which may not typically be associated with cybersecurity.
"When identifying their cybersecurity staff, many organizations overlook cybersecurity tasks being performed by lawyers, auditors and procurement officers," said Bill Newhouse, NICE deputy director and lead author of the document. "The NCWF can help an organization identify cybersecurity tasks within a work role that are vital to its mission and then examine if its current staff can perform those tasks and, if not, hire staff who can."
The ultimate goal of the framework is to help employers recruit and maintain cybersecurity talent.