Thomas Skill, Ph.D, Associate Provost & Chief Information Officer, University of Dayton
Thomas Skill, Ph.D, Associate Provost & Chief Information Officer, University of Dayton
How nervous should your cybersecurity team be when the Gen-Z population joins the workforce over the next few years? The University of Dayton’s Center of Cybersecurity & Data Intelligence did a small study in March 2018 that explored how the different generations encounter cybersecurity awareness and practices. A key group that we analyzed was Generation Z (Gen-Z). These are the kids now in high school that will soon be entering college and the broader workforce. This study measured self-reported behaviors and attitudes toward cybersecurity across four generations - from Baby Boomers & Gen X’ers to Millennials and Gen Z. Using both our research findings and data from other sources, we were able to craft descriptive profiles of the generational differences regarding cybersecurity and data privacy. While our results revealed many interesting findings across the different generations, we were most struck by the extent to which the Gen-Z respondents revealed a very disruptive set of expectations and new behaviors with respect to technology, privacy, and cybersecurity.
In terms of the Gen-Z engagement with technology and cybersecurity, this is a generation that views their technology as totally and almost exclusively mobile! Their personally-owned smartphone reflects its “always connected” lifestyle. They expect to use these devices for personal and work activities and they strongly believe that their personally-owned and self-managed device allows them to be substantially more productive than any technology provided by their school or employer.
The "BYOD" world-view of the Gen-Z population will likely be very disruptive to traditional cybersecurity models and practices.
A critical finding is that traditional “rules-based” security practices that use the typical lecture-based training are ..
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