In a world that is becoming ever more reliant on technology and computers, the ever growing threat to cyber security is unnerving. There have been numerous reports in the last couple of years of high profile companies being the victims of hacking and cyber attacks. This ever increasing threat needs to be addressed, with more emphasis put on protecting the sensitive data that is held across the world.
British Telecom has announced that they are taking the threat very seriously, and will be making further investment into its cyber security department. At present, BT employ over 2.5 thousand security professionals globally. They are now committed to growing this number in a recruitment drive that will see another 900 people join their security operations team.
As a huge telecoms provider, BT offer a range of products and services to assist their customers with security, which range from parental control options and anti virus for domestic users, right through to sophisticated security solutions for multinational corporations, governments and banks.
The recruitment of these 900 new members of staff, 170 of which will be apprentice and graduate roles, is expected to take place over the next year. Training will be given for these apprentices and graduates at BT’s security academy. BT say they will be hiring from leading universities around the world. The majority of positions will of course be here in the UK where they are based. Universities will not be the only source of prospective applicants though, BT also take part in a range of hackathon competitions where participants pit their cyber security skills against one another. BT clearly want to get the best talent in the industry and position themselves at the forefront of the defence.
President of BT Security, Mark Hughes says: “A number of high-profile security and data breaches have dominated the headlines in recent months, and this has led to a surge in interest from both consumers and IT departments wanting to know how best they can protect themselves in the digital world.
BT plans to remain at the forefront, innovating in cybersecurity, by hiring some of the best talent while training up the next generation of experts at our BT Security Academy.”
This investment by BT, should set a precedent for companies globally after such a spate of high profile security breaches. One of the victims of such attacks included rival telecoms provider Talk Talk, in an attack that saw 157 thousand customer’s details breached. Attacks like this are extremely expensive for the companies involved and leave customers feeling distrustful and in some instances violated.
As well as being fantastic news for the world of cyber security, these new jobs will undoubtedly help the economy in the UK whilst providing training and a secure job for many apprentices and graduates, which will be warmly welcomed. Young people interested in finding out more about the apprenticeships are invited to attend an open afternoon in London. More information about that can be found here.