Page 44 - FCW, August 2021

Management
Want to
lead in IT?
Find a subject to master.
The former CIO at the IRS and DHS explains why early-career expertise is the key to successful leadership
BY RICHARD A. SPIRES
Since I entered the technology field more than 35 years ago, there has been an explosion in new technologies, methodologies and processes. The internet, object-oriented design, agile methods leading to DevOps and DevSecOps, machine learning, and even cybersecurity did not exist in 1984. And new technologies and application options constantly emerge.
The list includes personal devices with sensor-driven assists; “smart” environmental controls, appliances and security systems; advanced software-
defined networks; robotics; new media creation and distribution tools; and arti- ficial intelligence, to name just a few. It is a fantastic array that has led to an unprecedented number of new subject areas in technology and various posi- tions or work roles that align with each subject. And each one offers opportuni- ties because it requires qualified innova- tors, managers and practitioners.
Take cybersecurity as one example. The National Institute of Standards and Technology, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is a leader in develop- ing cybersecurity standards, including the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. This framework has rapidly become a “de facto” standard for cybersecurity risk management across all industries, well beyond just federal government agencies.
The National Initiative for Cybersecu- rity Education is an organization within NIST, and it has created a companion workforce framework for cybersecuri-
ty. This workforce framework defines seven workforce categories, 33 distinct areas of work and 52 individual work roles. For each work role, the frame- work includes the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) along with the tasks associated with that role. Orga- nizations can use this framework to create positions by assigning roles to a position, along with the KSAs that align with each role.
So given that there are 52 defined roles for cybersecurity alone, you can imagine what it looks like if you map all the IT and related disciplines. There are hundreds of different roles. And when you expand the exercise to incorporate specific product expertise (for example, establishing and administrating an appli- cation on a cloud service provider such as Amazon Web Services), the number of distinct roles is undoubtedly in the thousands.
That may seem daunting, but look at it as a vast opportunity. Given this diver-
42 August 2021 FCW.COM
This article is adapted from “Success in
the Technology Field: A Guide
for Advancing Your Career” (BookLocker, June 2021).