If your client pauses your services, it could mean that they're facing financial difficulty and by offering further collaboration, could potentially help the business - in the end, we're all going through this together. In terms of maintaining your relationship your team could offer consultancy at no extra cost.
I've always had what I would consider a hacker mindset, a curiosity to take things apart, understand them, and use that knowledge to solve problems. That mindset took me on a circuitous route into the cybersecurity industry; after being kicked out of high school for hacking computer systems, I worked a range of jobs, managing office supply companies by day and cracking Wi-Fi networks by night until I started a Digital Forensics degree which led me to the world of security research.
Rather than stolen data making headlines, it was business stoppage that triggered attention. Moving into 2026, the board's focus should be on ensuring business continuity and building resilience in the face of emerging risks generated by AI usage and attack vectors, quantum computing and geopolitics.
Organizations have reported heightened cybersecurity risks as a result of these skill shortages, but the issues don't end there. Many teams will also experience burnout, which is an issue for security teams even in the best of times, which can only add to the talent gap concern if burnt out employees leave the industry.
