Dive Brief:

• The Times reports that the Department of Homeland Security's recruiting efforts for desperately needed computer experts is running into a stone wall. Private intelligence agencies match in pay and cachet and are winning the talent battle.
• Recent reports of Iranian hackers launching a cyberattack against a dam in New York was a clear indication that Homeland Security needs to beef up its brain power to protect government and private systems from sophisticated enemies. But even with almost 700 employees in its cybersecurity division, the Times reports, Homeland Security has been stymied in its recruiting efforts to meet potential threats.
• Candy Alexander, a board member at the Information Systems Security Association, a trade group of cybersecurity professionals, told the Times that cybersecurity professionals are staying away from the government because the work is not seen as "cutting edge."

Dive Insight:

While Homeland Security has been authorized to hire up to 1,000 new workers by June 30, the situation points out how highly competitive the tech industry can be when it comes to talent. Besides the private sector competition, department officials told the Times they are also going up against government agencies like the National Security Agency and the Department of Defense.

Robert Lee, chief executive and a founder of Dragos Security, a cybersecurity company that focuses on critical infrastructure, told the Times that people want meaningful work and flexibility – and those are not trademarks of a government work environment. To counter that view, the Times says the department is making an aggressive push to hire talent by, for one thing, shortening the hiring cycle, a typical government hiring issue.