Juris Disputes & Investigations, a Texas-based investigation and cybersecurity specialist, has partnered with CW Resources, an organization that provides employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, veterans, wounded warriors and others, to flesh out its managed security services unit.
MSSP DarkBox Expansion Eyed
The partnership is intended to expand the geographic reach and business of DarkBox Security Systems, Juris’ managed security service provider (MSSP) unit. DarkBox offers a customized subscription-based cybersecurity protection plan that includes incident response, threat hunting, digital forensics and penetration testing.
Juris believes its competitive edge lies in the composition of the DarkBox team, which includes licensed private investigators sanctioned by the Texas Department of Public Safety that can “physically deploy to the client,” said Andrew Sternke, Juris’ chief executive. He said the company has plans to grow not only in Texas but to other states as well.
Through hiring an underserved and underutilized group of professionals, Juris said its deal with CW is a “positive step in providing meaningful employment,” that will enable it to expand its cybersecurity workforce and operations “while maintaining the same high level of integrity and premier service for our clients.”
Commenting on the partnership, William Green, CW’s president and chief executive, said:
“(It will) open new jobs and career opportunities for individuals with disabilities including our disabled and service-disabled veterans along with many other individuals looking to change their lives.”
Cybersecurity Careers for Underserved Groups
Juris is among a handful of companies that are looking to women, minorities, disadvantaged people and veterans to train for jobs in the cybersecurity field. Sternke and Green did not elaborate on what kind of cybersecurity jobs the recruits could fill nor how they would be trained.
The workforce shortfall to close the gap between open cybersecurity jobs and qualified workers worldwide is estimated at more than three million people. According to experts, Juris is on the right path to expand its services.
A new report by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium, commonly known as (ISC)² and widely regarded as the world’s largest IT security organization, found that despite adding 464,000 cybersecurity jobs in 2022 to an estimated 4.7 million professionals, the gap between available jobs and qualified workers has spiked by 26% from last year.
Study Shows Need for Cyber Pros
(ISC)² conducted a global study of nearly 12,000 individuals responsible for cybersecurity at their workplaces in May and June 2022. The survey found that 70% of respondents report their organizations do not have enough cybersecurity employees. More than half of organizations with workforce shortages contend that staff deficits put their organization at a “moderate” or “extreme” risk of a cyberattack.
On a positive note, more than seven in 10 organizations intend to boost their cybersecurity staff in the next 12 months. That amounts to roughly 20 points higher than the predicted growth rate last year and 30 points more than the prior year.
To reduce the impact of staff shortages, organizations can retrain internal talent, rotate job assignments, begin mentorship programs and urge non-cybersecurity staffers to join the field, (ISC)² said.
