Entering the IT job market can be competitive. Salaries are high, and there can be huge scope for promotion and rapid progress, especially when you have specialist skills such as in the field of cybersecurity. Working in the IT sector isn’t the first thing most people would say if asked to name jobs in which people might need a criminal records check. DBS checks, which were previously known as Criminal Records Bureau check of (CRB check) are more commonly associated with roles working with children, or perhaps in healthcare.
People working in IT might not ever have direct contact with customers or patients but can have a devastating impact on a company itself if they are determined to engage in criminal behaviour. A DBS check won’t always pick up on every person who has criminal intent but is a good first step in weeding out those with a long criminal history in the job application process.
Potential Damage from Not Checking IT Professionals
The IT team are often in the background of a company but are often the people who have open access to all of the company emails and accounts through the IT system. Not running any background checks on staff in the IT department could potentially allow someone to read confidential or sensitive emails between company managers or move money out of the company bank accounts. Another growing issue is cyber-attacks, which are said to cost businesses across the world approximately 6 trillion US dollars annually. One risk businesses are increasingly having to contend with is that employees leave a “back door” open for cyber criminals to get into the company systems and hold them to ransom.
Recruitment Trends
Both public and private sectors are affected by cybercrime, underscored by high-profile incidents like the very recent ransomware attack NHS hospitals in London. As awareness of cybersecurity risks increases, companies are scrambling to hire from a limited pool of professional who have the skills to protect them. Getting the right person for the role can be difficult and navigating the recruitment process for cybersecurity roles can be complex. While qualifications and experience are of course an important starting point, every employer is different. This can mean there is no single, standard way of running background checks on IT workers.
Post-COVID Cybersecurity and Work from Home
Having a large number of professionals working from home can make it even more important to have a way to check up on the backgrounds of people who will be working remotely. Trust is paramount, as when people are working at home there is more possibility of poor security, hacking or even someone being tempted to share passwords and access for financial reward.
When recruiting staff for IT positions at all levels, comprehensive background checking is essential. Whether DBS checks form part of these checks is up to the individual employer but is probably the easiest way of looking at an applicant’s criminal record and weeding out those whose past calls their character into question.
