Despite the joy younger generations derive from poking fun at the older cohorts of the population, the inevitable retirement of these veteran professionals — particularly in technical roles like network engineers, IT, cybersecurity, etc. — will create serious security implications.

A 2023 study of this impending wave of retirements (aptly dubbed the Great Resignation) surveyed CIOs and network engineers in multiple Western countries, discovering that 86% of US-based CIOs expect that at least 25% of their network engineers will retire in the next five years. 

The loss of these experienced individuals will compromise an organization’s ability to adequately manage networks, highlighting the need for greater network resilience and process automation. 

Why shorthanded network teams can be a security risk  

Experienced network professionals, due to their proximity and understanding of the network’s potential weaknesses, are the most qualified to optimize uptime and minimize downtime. However, with these network engineers retiring in droves, 95% of CIOs report that this shortfall has negatively affected their remaining people’s ability to manage networks. In addition to improper setups and other inefficiencies, a shortage of human oversight can make networks more susceptible to cybercriminal exploitation. 

If cybercriminals successfully infiltrate a business environment, there could be network outages. During cyberattack-induced network downtime, employees will be unable to access critical services and applications, nor will they be able to connect with each other and their customers. Every second that diminished networking teams struggle to restore operations is lost revenue and void productivity, not to mention degraded customer and partner relations as well as employee burnout and turnover.  

Safeguarding network security with out-of-band management

Businesses must do what they can to assist their remaining network personnel. One method is implementing solutions like out-of-band (OOB) management to help bolster network resilience. OOB management provides a secure, remote connection to IT network environments, allowing engineers to manage and remediate network assets from any location. Specifically, network engineers can use serial console servers to open up an alternative path through a separate management plane, enabling them to access physical and virtually connected network devices even during outages or disruptions from cyberattacks. 

Moreover, OOB management permits engineers to lock down affected network elements and restrict access. For example, should malware or ransomware cause a breach, engineers can utilize the console port to disable access to impacted network equipment. Likewise, they can shut down servers and disconnect wide-area network connections to isolate a breach. The console port even allows engineers to rebuild and reconfigure devices to factory default. 

Improving everyday process and supporting remote workforces 

If the mass retirement of veteran engineers and IT professionals wasn’t challenging enough, figures indicate companies today struggle to find technical talent. According to a Deloitte survey, almost 90% of technology industry leaders say recruiting and retaining talent is a moderate or major challenge. Unsurprisingly, the study of the Great Resignation points out that 98% of surveyed engineers said they had to achieve more with fewer resources. With feelings of burnout on the rise, businesses need a way to protect their teams from getting overwhelmed. 

Thankfully, depleted engineering teams can leverage OOB management to not only boost network resilience against cyberattacks but also automate various networking processes such as configurations, first-day deployments and day-to-day operation of network infrastructure. Automating everyday management tasks is particularly vital for under-pressure engineers, easing the large load left on their shoulders from the departure of their more experienced coworkers. 

Because OOB management allows for the remote deployment, monitoring and management of networking devices, it reduces the need for engineers to visit remote sites to perform manual remediation amid cyberattacks. These remote remediation tools and capabilities provide opportunities for upskilling and — more importantly — support remote and hybrid working practices, which is ideal for expanding recruiting efforts. 

Cybersecurity is a perennial challenge  

Returning to that analysis of the Great Resignation, one will find that 22% of US-based CIOs anticipate that 75% of their workforce will retire within the next several years, which was much higher than any other surveyed country. As experienced and skilled professionals retire across positions, cybercrime continues to grow in the number of victims and the amount of money stolen each year.   

With less personnel available to devote to cybersecurity, it is paramount that companies invest in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence tools and 5G-powered networks. To that end, businesses must find and deploy an OOB management solution capable of incorporating and streamlining these advanced technologies not only to strengthen security but also to enhance everyday network efficiency.