This week I am up in Chicago working with a company to build differentiation and competitive advantage – it’s one of the four things buyers buy (something I wrote extensively about in my book, From Vendor to Adviser).  Where is the growth opportunity?

From the Wall Street Journal this morning:

“Cybersecurity and Big Data are the dynamic duo of tech jobs. The demand for cybersecurity experts is growing at 12 times the overall job market, making it one of the most highly sought-after fields in the country, according to a report by Burning Glass International Inc., a Boston-based company that uses artificial intelligence to match jobs and job seekers. “Few job categories can match the explosive growth in demand for cyber security talent,” Burning Glass CEO Matthew Sigelman told CIO Journal in an email. “One of those may be Big Data, with demand for certain big data skills up 122% in the past year alone.” The growth in demand for cyber security expertise is closely related to the growth in demand for Big Data skills. “After all, as companies are focusing more and more on Big Data and the value that’s accrued within their customer databases, not surprisingly they have also come to focus more attention on managing the risks and the vulnerabilities,” he said.”

The security market is growing…but just saying security isn’t enough.  Technology trends that revolve are big data, mobility and BYOD, and virtualization / cloud technologies are important applications of security.  I hear people saying things like, “I don’t recommend cloud – it’s not secure.”  Our opinion on this doesn’t really matter.  What does matter is, companies are heading this direction and need someone to help them be as secure as possible.

There are thousands of sales people out there selling general technology products.  If you want to be relevant in the coming decade, specialization is needed.  This goes for both companies and their sales teams.

P.S. Really enjoying the snow storm in Chicago this week!

© 2013, David Stelzl