Virtual Shadowing Not Only Works – It’s the Way of the Future

When cloud security specialists are onboarded, a period of adjustment and learning is required, regardless of their level of education and certification. No one knows the intricacies of their new employer until they’ve been there a while. But what happens when their new workplace has adopted a virtual or hybrid model, where shadowing entirely in person is impossible?

The (ISC)² white paper, Cloud Adoption and the Skills Shortage, looks specifically at why a shortage of qualified specialists is proving to be one of the largest impediments to cloud adoption. One contributor to the gap in expertise on staff cited in the research is a lack of mentoring.

Certified Cloud Security Professionals (CCSPs) surveyed for the report say it takes a few months before most new hires are able to operate on their own successfully. Until then, managers should expect them to work at 50 percent to 60 percent productivity as they learn the company’s operations while keeping pace with current cyberthreats.

One of the best ways to give new hires the on-the-job exposure they need is by offering a shadowing program. During the shadow process, they should not only follow their immediate cloud security superiors but observe other functions of the business. Spending time in HR or on the loading dock may not seem like an optimal use of their time, but these departments are the people who use cloud technology. Understanding how and why everyone in the company uses the cloud is central to a customized and proactive cloud security strategy.

Breaking Down the Barriers

When lockdowns happened because of the pandemic, mentoring opportunities changed. In the past, shadowing involved team members standing in the room, watching more experienced colleagues perform procedures or trying a technique and asking questions. Just as pre-pandemic shadowing involved watching, listening and processing, each of these activities can be accomplished virtually using cameras, microphones and screens.

For many employers, old-school shadowing was easy and inexpensive. You simply told the new hire to “stand over there and watch.” Today, collaboration technologies have changed what teams can do in separate rooms or different cities. Just as an expert articulated what they were doing in person, the same applies in the remote world, only now with the assistance of technology.

Virtual shadowing is not impossible, nor is it inferior to in-person shadowing. But when decision makers used to the old way of doing things compare new techniques to what they knew from their past, the new techniques will often have to struggle to overcome bias.

Even with the challenges, our so-called new normal presents an opportunity for companies to demonstrate how agile they truly are by implementing effective methods for onboarding and job shadowing that not only reflect the expectations of their new hires but the realities of the times. New grads, eager to enter the professional world as cloud security specialists, will expect a heightened level of digital literacy from their employers. And more employers will continue to answer the call.

How CCSP Certification Can Help You

Earning the globally recognized CCSP cloud security certification is a proven way to build your career and better secure critical assets in the cloud. CCSP shows you have the advanced technical skills and knowledge to design, manage and secure data, applications and infrastructure in the cloud using best practices, policies and procedures established by the cybersecurity member experts at (ISC)².

Achieving CCSP certification provides the added benefit of membership in (ISC)², the world’s largest nonprofit association of cybersecurity professionals, more than 150,000 members strong. (ISC)² provides members with professional development courses through the Professional Development Institute (PDI); technical webinars covering evolving cybersecurity trends; and benefits, such as the (ISC)² Community and InfoSecurity Professional magazine.

Learn more about how CCSP can help you build the skills you need to stand out in cloud security or get your copy of The Ultimate Guide to the CCSP and get started today.