Cybersecurity Skills Gap: It Is Big; And Bad For Security

Data leaks and cyber hacks have become commonplace nowadays. The reason you hear about them in the news every other day is because the industry lacks qualified cyber security personnel. This shortage in cyber security expertise has led to many organizations’, such as UPS, Target, Goodwill, JP Morgan, and Sony, data centers being breached.

Security is an important and often under-prioritized aspect in IT infrastructure. You will agree that the data repositories in large organizations, especially those who dabble in finance, contain sensitive information. If leaked, it can damage the reputation the organization and put the privacy of their customers in jeopardy. The cost is too heavy to bear.

IBM Security’s general manager, Marc van Zadelhoff states:

“Even if the industry was able to fill the estimated 1.5 million open cyber security jobs by 2020, we’d still have a skills crisis in security. The volume and velocity of data in security is one of our greatest challenges in dealing with cybercrime.”

This shows how seriously lacking IT security is in today’s world. Using security measures such as VPNs can help secure their network, but organizations need a much more substantial solution to protect their data centers. And it’s not just about building firewalls. It should be about understanding every aspect of cyber security, from architecture to endpoint security.

One reason why these skills gaps are widespread is the undervaluation of IT security. People in top leadership positions such as CEO, CFO, and COO, who aren’t closely associated with IT infrastructure, are observed to pay less attention to cyber security. Many organizations do not even have an in-house cyber security expert.

Lack of security training can also be attributed to the glaring skills gap in cyber security. Investment in security training does not even crack the top ten spot for about 40 percent of organizations. Many IT security personnel have to learn about security on their own because no one is funding their training. Even if there was some sort of training in place, it covers only traditional and usually outdated security measures. While laptops, desktops, and servers are dealt with easily, the same cannot be said about mobile devices and upcoming technologies such as wearable devices and IoT.

A little time, training, and investment go a long way in filling the cyber security skills gap. The framework of cyber security involves a sizable cost which organizations aren’t willing to pay. Ultimately, they pay for it through data leaks and security breaches, which cost them way more than what they could have invested.

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Cyber security is a critical field that is lacking qualified professionals. The gap has to be filled fast to prevent security breaches and loss of sensitive data.