As organisations have started to realise the importance and value of data, their need for the right skills and expertise has also increased. In trying to make sense of the vast amount of data gathered on a daily basis and use it to solve business problems, identify insights and trends and make decisions to support new ideas, they need more people with a mix of statistics, database, data visualisation, machine-learning, coding and data preparation skills.

Data scientists are increasingly in demand to steer information and technology strategy, of which AI is a key element. As hiring them becomes a board-level priority, how is the role evolving?

Increased specialisation

As the overall level of data literacy improves across the workforce, with other employees gaining a better understanding of how to use data more widely in their own roles (such as marketing intelligence, employee retention and absenteeism figures), there will be a shift towards the future data scientist becoming more specialised. As a result, some organisations may need to consider skill-specific data scientists.

An emphasis on problem solving

Data scientists need a much wider skillset basis than statistics or data analysis; data scientists often need to start by creatively looking at the problem and understanding how to resolve it in order to achieve business goals. As a result, expectations are growing that data scientists will bring domain expertise, communication skills and an innovative mindset to the table as well.

AI knowledge more important than ever

Machines are much more able to cope with complex calculations than humans, which in turn has led to many organisations looking to AI, supported by professionals that perfect the algorithms and communicate how to build them into the overall business strategy. Deep familiarity with artificial intelligence is becoming a ‘must-have’ for many data science positions. Keeping up to date with the latest developments and research into AI is a must, if only to understand when ‘industry standard’ versions can be adapted to work better for the company.

Higher expectations

Businesses now recognise the importance of data science, but increased demand and investment means they expect people who are confident and able to align a data strategy from the off. While at one point, data science was a niche specialism, as it now informs and feeds departments across the company, it’s expected that analysis experts will also be competent in all related software, business reporting and machine learning.

More private-sector opportunities

Many data scientists are currently hired by companies that have little or no understanding of the discipline, often joining a very new department. It’s estimated that data scientists currently spend on average less than 20% of their work hours doing actual science and analysis and digging for deep insights. As the private sector comes to realise the value of data science, it could well be that focus on return on investment and profit could drive a new wave of efficiency, using data science to increase productivity.

More focus on strategic solutions

While the sector grows in importance, it does mean that competent practitioners are becoming more influential in the business world. While most positions will still require that a data scientist knows their way around programming languages, in some organisations, data engineers are taking on more of the data preparation, leaving data scientists to expand their roles to identifying opportunities where they can help grow the business. This broader scope could see their priorities being incorporated as part of wider business aims or goals.

Data Science roles often remain unfilled for up to 45 days, due to skills shortages, according to IBM. The University of York’s 100% online Computer Science with Data Analytics Masters is aiming to change this. The programme is designed specifically for those who may not currently have a computer science background but want to launch a career in this in-demand field. The course covers a wide range of topics such as algorithms and data structure, machine learning, software engineering and artificial intelligence, preparing graduates for a wide range of positions.

As the programme is delivered 100% online, there’s no need for campus visits. You can choose from six start dates per year, enabling you to remain in your current position and work around family and other commitments. There is the option to pay-per-module, and some students may be eligible for a government-backed postgraduate loan to cover the cost of the course.

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Inclusiveness isn’t just a nice-to-have. Having a diverse workforce with people from various educational, cultural and racial backgrounds fosters a range of alternative skills, opinions and approaches. Coupled with employees of differing experience levels and those who’ve worked in other businesses and sectors, this creates a unique environment where different viewpoints can be utilised to great effect, leading to more diverse innovation and business routes which may not otherwise have been considered.

Getting a mixed and diverse group to perform at their peak, however, requires strong leadership, not just for communicating team goals, but also on a personal level, allowing employees to feel respected, valued and therefore confident of their contribution.

Why is this so important?

1. Generational diversity is expanding
   We’re now fitter and living longer than ever before, which means as young people finish education and come into the workplace, there are still plenty of people from the older generations still working. Longer careers mean a greater mix of ages that need to work together.
2. To attract, retain, and engage millennials
   With new expectations and values placed on careers, millennials are challenging the traditional workplace and paving the way for a generation that expect far more from a job than just remuneration. More than half of millennials value inclusivity so highly, they’d quit jobs and change companies if they didn’t believe their current boss was inclusive enough – and nearly a third have already done so.  A survey conducted with over 19,000 working millennials across 25 countries showed that new opportunities, better work life balance, a clear career path and recognition from managers and peers are more highly regarded by millennials than money.
3. To unlock innovation
   Non-diverse teams often share too close a common culture or mindset, so can tend to approach problems from a similar angle and not considering things ‘outside the box’. Diverse teams can approach a problem from different angles, and 85% of businesses believe that diversity plays a big part in the most innovative or unexpected ideas.  It’s these differences in work ethic and world view between millennials and Gen Z, for example, that can truly help businesses; millennials are multi-taskers and have been described as educated, positive about tech, people-orientated, environmentally conscious, and progressive; while Gen Z is ambitious, tech savvy and entrepreneurial. Inclusive leaders can leverage this diversity to be more innovative.
4. To outperform the competition
   Recent research has shown that companies with inclusive practices in hiring, promotion, development, leadership, and team management generate up to 30% higher revenue per employee and greater profitability than their competitors. Diverse teams with inclusive leaders are 17% more likely to report that they are high performing, 20% more likely to say they make high-quality decisions, and 29% more likely to report behaving collaboratively; while a 10% improvement in perceptions of inclusion increases work attendance by almost 1 day a year per employee, reducing the cost of absenteeism.
5. Remote working and a global workforce
   Globalisation has made the world a smaller place, bringing customers and businesses together – meaning that your employees not only need to be sensitive to differences between national boundaries but also understand and work within them. Having employees that speak multiple languages helps to build international relationships, therefore increasing the chances of successfully opening foreign markets.

With today’s business leaders operating in an increasingly complex global environment, the suite of 100% online Leadership and Management MScs from the University of York could be invaluable. Designed to build practical leadership skills and knowledge while      developing a theoretical understanding of the business environment, the courses cover three key disciplines, innovation, finance, and international business. All of these help to develop the distinct skills required for effective leadership across industries, functions and roles.

The course is delivered 100% online and is designed for study at your own pace. You can choose to carry on in your existing career and fit studies around other commitments too. Six start dates a year, flexible payment options, and postgraduate government loans for those that are eligible, add to its flexibility.

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What enables a person to be an effective leader? Leadership has different facets and being able to identify your own leadership style as either proactive or reactive and having the ability to switch between the two can make a huge difference to your success. So, what are the different styles and which do you most identify with?

A reactive leader can handle pressure that comes their way in real time

Reactive leaders take responsibility and solve problems on their own. They also often possess ‘firefighting’ skills; the ability to think quickly, creatively and yet logically when faced with an emerging situation to prevent problems. Firefighting can be an extremely useful skill, but doesn’t lend itself to long term planning or analysis to prevent the problem from arising in the future. Rather than being prepared for future challenges, reactive leaders may miss out on opportunities because they have not anticipated change. A reactive leader and workforce is exactly what companies need to ensure that the business can survive short-term unexpected issues.

Proactive leadership styles are focused on the future

Being a proactive leader requires a different mindset and skills, figuring out what needs to be done and how to achieve it without knowing exactly what the future holds. In a business context this means building a sound knowledge of your market and competitors and learning how to anticipate change, not just waiting for it to happen.

There are many advantages to adopting a proactive leadership approach. These include more accurate and effective strategies and projections, ensuring the business is relevant to customers, improved cost and resource efficiency, aligning daily decisions with long-term objectives, and getting ahead of the competition. The downside of a proactive approach is that focusing on the future can mean you are not fully focused on the task at hand, which could have serious consequences, particularly during difficult times.

Which type of leader is best for business?

In their recent study of one million global leaders, Anderson and Adams found that most struggle to deal with the complex challenges they face. This makes development – both self-development and developing other leaders and future leaders at scale – a business imperative. In their research, they identified 18 key creative competencies which highly correlated to measures of leadership effectiveness and business performance, falling into five categories:

1. Achieving – the ability to plan and get results
2. Systems awareness – the capability to think systemically and design organisational systems for higher performance
3. Authenticity – the willingness to act with integrity, speaking the truth even when it is risky
4. Self-awareness – recognising your own strengths and weaknesses and taking ownership of your decisions
5. Relating – the capability to build teams, collaborate with, and develop people

Reactive leaders can be considered successful in many respects, Anderson and Adams believe that the focus tends to be on ‘quick wins’; large achievements in the shortest possible time that doesn’t allow them to concentrate on other parts of their role that would give greater long term success, such as strategizing or forecast analysis.

A strong leader needs to balance reactive and proactive skillsets to be able to act in the short term, and plan for the future.

If you want to enhance your leadership style and futureproof your skill set, the 100% online Management and Leadership Masters programmes from the University of York provide the fundamental concepts, theories and practical applications of innovation, finance, and international business – vital for professional adaptability and employability across industries, functions and roles.

With all course content available online you can access it and study at any time, in any place. Six start dates throughout the year mean you can tailor the course to your own timescales. There’s also the option to pay as you learn, and you may even be entitled to a UK government-backed postgraduate loan, covering the costs of the course.

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With our lives increasingly dependent on computer networks and the internet – both potential targets of terrorist and criminal attacks – cyber security is one of society’s greatest challenges. Now, more than ever, IT professionals are tasked with determining specific cyber security needs and effectively allocating resources to address threats.

It is vital that, in any organisation, when a security incident occurs, there is a clear process that is understood and followed by those investigating and resolving the issues that it creates. There are many proposed methodologies for digital forensics, but generally they can all be condensed into the same logical steps:

What happened?

When a security alert is raised, the first thing that needs to be addressed is gathering the most essential of information:

• What the alert was
• When it was discovered
• If it is still ongoing
• What systems were affected or what impact has been seen
• What other knock on effects it may have

 

Speaking to the team – or collecting the data logs from the reporting of the affected sector – gives you much of this information. Gathering the data is vital to understand the scale of the problem before taking any action.

Plan your next steps – and follow procedure

Information gathering is vital, as once you start attempting to fix the problem, you physically change the data and the network environment. If the scale of the issue isn’t fully understood, then an insufficient fix can actually mask the security breach without eradicating the problem. Also prioritise your efforts, saving the most stable sections until last and working on at risk or volatile areas first. Procedures should exist to follow legal guidelines, such as gathering and preserving evidence for possible prosecutions.

Evidence

Digital evidence is no different than physical evidence – once touched it can be permanently changed, or potentially leave somebody else’s ‘fingerprint’ on it. This is where documenting, dating and signing off every step is required, if only for auditing purposes. Keeping master files intact and only carry out work on copies to make sure there’s always a single reference point.

Use your data

Networked computers, particularly those across state or national borders often have different time stamps. By working logically, in time and to the actual timeline of events, you can see how things unfolded, what was affected and when, and then hypothesise and test theories. Evidence also relies on things like file names and metadata, so these are important to preserve and record.

Document your findings

The final report should be robust and all the data and conclusions water-tight, but also understandable by non-technical staff or those without IT backgrounds. These reports could also need to be reviewed and used by criminal or legal investigators, meaning that supporting appendices could be very helpful. This kind of forensic evidence and the report should meet court requirements and provide valuable evidence to the business and those affected.

In the UK, the number of digital technology jobs has grown at twice the rate of other roles. The University of York’s MSc Computer Science with Cyber Security online Masters programme is designed for working professionals and graduates who want to launch their career in this in-demand and lucrative field but may not currently have a computer science background. Graduates of this programme go on to a range of positions in software and web development, IT systems, support and programming.

Focusing on network and operating system security, risk analysis and secure software development, it will grow your expertise through specialist modules and projects, and develop your core computer science skills. The 100% online programme allows you to study around work and home commitments, at different times and locations, and has six start dates a year. There is a pay-per-module option available, and you may be eligible for a government backed postgraduate loan which covers the course cost.

Find out more and begin your application.

Digitisation offers businesses a huge number of benefits, but at the same time can increase the risk of cyberattacks or security breaches. As well as protecting the business, forensic readiness is becoming a focus for many, as a way of collecting, protecting and analysing legally admissible evidence following security investigations, whether this is to internal processes, tribunals or even the courts. The challenge for companies is making sure the company can maximise its digital evidence without investigations costing large amounts or having an undue impact on the business.

Most companies understand why disaster recovery and business continuity plans are important, but forensic readiness is treated as a lower priority and only taken seriously after an incident – and even then, many times without process. In a recent survey, nearly half of company executives stated they don’t conduct forensic readiness tests and a third don’t understand their role in cyber response plans.

Proactivity is key

Taking a reactive approach is not advisable, principally because waiting until after the fact puts a huge time pressure on gathering evidence before it’s deleted, modified or causes a total loss. Without having a planned approach, it’s also more likely that the disruption to the business will be greater following a cyber incident, where limiting the effects of the attack take first priority. The greater length of time this goes on, the greater the risk that it could start to affect customers and clients.

Having all the plans, skills and capabilities working together to gather, preserve and analyse evidence following an attack is key to minimising impact, and should also include legal teams and PR professionals. Forensic readiness prevents wasted time in trying to figure out how to collect and preserve evidence on the fly and ensures the business gets back to normal quicker, in turn allowing IT professionals to understand why the attack happened and take steps to prevent it happening again.

There are also other significant benefits; an efficient process limits the amount of time and money used for investigations, it reduces the disruption to business as usual and also prevents the initiators of the attack having time to cover their tracks completely. Forensic readiness plans also mean companies can show due diligence or compliance with various regulations and being able to demonstrate these procedures increases the trust that your suppliers and customers have in the company, thereby potentially increasing loyalty.

Offering foresight

Forensic readiness can also help to reveal potential incidents before they become a serious problem. It allows cyber threats to be uncovered, traced and prevented.

Businesses no longer ask how they can respond to a cyber incident when it occurs. Instead they’re asking themselves ‘how often will we need to respond’ or ‘how do we withstand persistent attacks’. Having forensic readiness and providing employees with the knowledge, practice and skills they need can help organisations mitigate risk through preparedness and increase overall business resilience.

Forensic readiness requires a great understanding of cyber security, the threats involved and an in-depth knowledge of the industry and business at risk. As these attacks become more and more common, businesses are employing specialists to mitigate the risks and help them recover more quickly. Designed specifically for ambitious professionals, the University of York’s online Computer Science with Cyber Security MSc means you can earn a Masters degree in an in-demand field from a world-class Russell Group university without putting your current career on hold. You can access course material and study any time, anywhere, on a variety of mobile devices, and with six start dates a year to choose from, you can start when best suits you. There’s also the option of paying per module so that you can split the cost of tuition fees across the duration of study. You may even be entitled to a UK government-backed postgraduate loan to cover the full cost of the course.

Find out more and begin your application.

There are many who take the concepts of ‘leader’ and a ‘manager’ as interchangeable. For many junior positions, these words are synonymous, with Team Leaders and Team Managers essentially performing the same function. The truth is that leadership and management are two separate disciplines, each with their own individual skillsets, aptitudes and most importantly, value to a business environment.

People prefer to be thought of as strong leaders, rather than strong managers. Leadership tends to conjure up images of inspiration, striving forward and taking your followers on a journey of improvement. Being thought of as a manager is far less romantic. However, while people may aspire to lead, they need management skills and experience to be successful.

What does a manager do that a leader doesn’t?

Management skills often relate to the technical aspects of a role. Good managers are experts in their fields, using experience built over time to give them a wide, overarching knowledge of their sector. They can control processes, resources or operations, exemplify best practice and ensure smooth running of the day to day business.

Strong management skills are business critical in many situations. Good managers are able to understand and control all of the resources at their disposal. Familiarity with systems and processes gives a wide, overarching knowledge that allows managers to control outcomes effectively.

It’s important to remember that employees are the most valuable and variable resource available to managers. While leaders aim to inspire employees to do more and grow, managers understand growth must be guided and channelled effectively.

Management isn’t a standalone skillset

Management skills may be seen by some as more technical, resource-focused and numerical, while leadership is softer, more people-focused and human, but neither discipline is entirely separate. Leaders still need the skills that managers possess to get the most out of every resource, whether it’s time, employees or operations. The most effective managers have leadership skills, just as the most effective leaders have management skills.

It is possible to ensure that you have the best of both worlds: the University of York offers 100% online MSc programmes in Leadership and Management. They provide essential skills, such as effective communication and critical approaches to problem solving, which will help you develop a range of approaches to business. As all learning materials are delivered online, you can study when it suits you best, avoiding the need to take a break in your career. You can keep your current role and salary and apply what you learn while you earn. There are also six start dates throughout the year and the ability to pay-per-module, making this an extremely flexible way to gain a prestigious Masters degree from a Russell Group university.

Learn more and begin your application.