Shortage of Cybersecurity Talents

According to the estimates by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, cybercrime costs the global economy US$400 billion per year. With the escalating awareness and prominence of security breaches, securing physical and digital assets for the purpose of confidentiality, integrity and availability are a priority for every organisation. With the vital role cyber security professionals play in the business ecosystem, market demand for cyber security professionals is outpacing supply.

What are their roles and responsibilities?

• Developing and designing enterprise security architecture
• Monitoring and identifying threats in enterprise architecture
• Conducting regular security assessment

Why are they important to organisations?

• Most organisations face challenges in interpreting the detection or mitigation of cyber security threats
• They develop and implement overarching processes

Why is there a shortage? 

• As the skills of cyber attackers advances, cyber security professionals are more equipped than an IT professional to understand the tactics, techniques and procedures
• Schools are still graduating cybersecurity majors and that means a lack of experience and exposure to realistic cyber attacks

What can you do?

• Re-examine workforce strategies and improve recruitment outreach
• Have a robust support program for new hires
• Prioritise skills, knowledge, and willingness to learn when recruiting
• Build a local cybersecurity ecosystem
• Develop a strong culture of risk awareness

References

Disaster Resource Guide. The importance of cyber security within your organisation. Retrieved from Disaster Resource Guide: http://www.disasterresource.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1717:the-importance-of-cyber-security-within-your-organization

Simpli Learn. (2017, August 9) Key roles & responsibilities of IT security professionals. Retrieved from Simpli Learn: https://www.simplilearn.com/it-security-professionals-key-roles-responsibilities-article

Dark Reading. (2017, August 22) Health IT & cybersecurity: 5 hiring misconceptions to avoid. Retrieved from Dark Reading: https://www.darkreading.com/careers-and-people/health-it-and-cybersecurity-5-hiring-misconceptions-to-avoid/a/d-id/1329932?

Dark Reading. (2017, September 12) The ‘team of teams’ model for cybersecurity. Retrieved from Dark Reading: https://www.darkreading.com/application-security/the-team-of-teams-model-for-cybersecurity/a/d-id/1329840?

Monster Cloud. (2017, March 25) Importance of cybersecurity in business. Retrieved from Monster Cloud: https://monstercloud.com/importance-of-cybersecurity/

Threat Analysis Group. Threat, vulnerability, risk – commonly mixed up terms. Retrieved from Threat Analysis Group: https://www.threatanalysis.com/2010/05/03/threat-vulnerability-risk-commonly-mixed-up-terms/

Harvard Business Review. (2017, May 4) Cybersecurity has a serious talent shortage. Here’s how to fix it. Retrieved from Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2017/05/cybersecurity-has-a-serious-talent-shortage-heres-how-to-fix-it

Forbes. (2017, May 31) The top cybersecurity challenges experts are facing today. Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/05/31/the-top-cyber-security-challenges-experts-are-facing-today/#54279fef2238

Forbes. (2017, March 16) The fast-growing job with a huge skills gap: cyber security. Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkauflin/2017/03/16/the-fast-growing-job-with-a-huge-skills-gap-cyber-security/#407a0a3c5163