Morale among most cybersecurity professionals remains high despite the stressors brought on by the pandemic. 29% of respondents to the (ISC)² 2021 Cybersecurity Workforce Study reported personal morale as above average, with another 26% stating it was excellent. Overall team morale was also found to be high, with 51% of respondents rating it above average, followed by 20% selecting excellent.

In the past two years, the majority of employers have implemented work-from-home policies, 94% in 2021. This rapid shift that began as a public health matter has created lasting change that has workers looking to say home permanently and businesses consolidating their real estate footprint. According to the Workforce Study, only 24% of companies plan to return to their pre-pandemic office environments. With both morale and productivity being high, corporate leaders are listening to the 85% of workers wishing to maintain their work from home status and seeing the cost reductions that come along with space consolidations.

While remote work seems like an appealing solution to both workers and corporations, it is not without risk. Workforce Study participants reported challenges in keeping up with developing threats and asset security. Among them are collaboration tools such as video conferencing, lack of security awareness training and widely shared and distributed assets. Workforce Study participants ranked the top five areas in need of security improvement as cloud infrastructure, endpoint security, application security, mobile device management and a zero-trust security approach.

“Nonetheless, participants named several ways in which the pandemic has changed their organizations for the better, citing improved workplace flexibility (53%), accelerated innovation and digital transformation efforts (37%), and stronger collaboration (34%) as just some of the unexpected ways the pandemic has spurred improvements.” – (ISC)² Cybersecurity Workforce Study

Overall, companies have seen teams come together to help one another while physically separated, and organizational employee support has strengthened. The global business and technology landscape has undergone a massive transformation, and despite the daunting challenges, the cybersecurity workforce has adapted in real time. Together we continue to evolve through adversity and find innovative solutions. While the walls around us may have shifted, our perseverance and drive to grow and protect critical assets remain as strong as ever.

How has your work experience evolved, and how can we collectively improve and learn from the pandemic? Share your stories, ideas and more with us on the (ISC)² Community .