“Building the expertise to move into areas where clients have changing needs is one important way we bring value to our client relationships,“ says Bob Deissig, Ayers’ President of Staffing Services.  As an example, he indicates that growing demand for high-caliber candidates with expertise in information risk and risk management; information, data, and network security; and compliance has led the firm to establish a recruiting practice focused on those specialties.

“Until now, data, information, and network security have been orphan children within the corporate structure because they don’t generate revenue,” says Harry Plastik, Vice President of Staffing Services, who heads the new practice. “But the world has become a new place. Geopolitical events and technological trends have brought these issues and the newer issue of information risk to the forefront—to such an extent that we’re experiencing what I refer to as a ‘mini-Y2K.’ In the aftermath of September 11, and with ongoing terrorist threats, companies are spending to protect their information processes and systems worldwide.”

The move toward wireless technology, which raises a host of security issues, is also a long-term factor in the growth of this sector. “You can steal the information from a wireless network by setting up a receiver across the street,” Deissig observes. “Companies have kicked the tires and decided wireless is too risky. Until the security issues are resolved, we won’t see much growth in the use of wireless for critical business applications.”
 

Compliance is another area of concentration for the practice.  According to Plastik, new legislation, such as the Patriot Act and Sarbanes-Oxley, is increasing the complexity of reporting structures and making compliance more onerous.  That means increased demand for candidates with specialized expertise.  

Ayers’ Information Technology Consulting group is working in tandem with the new recruiting practice. “We also are seeing increased need in security, risk mitigation, and related infrastructure on the staff augmentation side and have begun to secure business in this field,” says Donna Held, Vice President of IT Consulting.