That makes it all the more important once you are able to hire good people that you continue to invest in. Regardless of background or seniority, the desire for continued personal development and growth is a common trait among high performers in all disciplines, IT security included. Unchallenged or undervalued employees can result in high turnover. As companies compete for security experts and other IT professionals, they must continue to invest in skills and career development for their current and new hires to keep them at the forefront of their professions, on top of emerging threats, and satisfied. In addition, don’t forget the role disaster planning and emergency response preparedness play in preventing data loss. Your IT security staff should play important roles in developing, testing and executing these plans and procedures and be continually trained to keep them abreast of both your internal procedures and industry-wide best practices. A tumultuous economic climate makes it tempting to cut training budgets, and limit long-term investment in security staff. Cyber-criminals are counting on that, so ensure your IT staff has up-to-date security training and are motivated to do their best.