How will we find the workforce needed to fill the currently more than 3 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs globally? Dr. Nasir Memon suggests the key is to open the profession to a wider cross-section of individuals. At a June 10 SecureWorld event on meeting the increasing demand for trained cybersecurity professionals, the co-founder of NYU’s Center for Cybersecurity emphasized the need for “a wide variety of pathways into the cybersecurity workforce for people in underrepresented groups, or for those who lack traditional STEM-focused backgrounds.” To create those pathways, Memon called for stronger partnerships between private industry, government agencies, and universities to “eliminate any disconnect between  traditional academic approaches and their current needs.”

Memon was part of a panel of experts that also included Geoff Brown, chief information security officer for the City of New York and head of the NYC Cyber Command; Jim Routh, a private sector security and risk advisor; and Liat Krawczyk, assistant vice president of emerging technology at the NYC Economic Development Corporation. The session was moderated by the NYU Senior Director of Cybersecurity Education Joel Caminer.

Secure World released a podcast of the conference that can be heard here.