Cyber Security Professionals In High Demand

The Growing Shortage of Cybersecurity Professionals

As a seasoned cybersecurity professional who has worked at many companies of various sizes and industries over the years, I have noticed a worrying trend: there is a growing deficit of skilled cybersecurity professionals to keep enterprises compliant and secure in the face of growing threats.

As a result, organizations continue to be breached and compromised. In their desperation, they scramble to hire staff as quickly as possible, often compromising on quality. But when employees don’t have enough experience or the right skills — nor well-practiced incident response plans — the organization remains vulnerable to attacks and susceptible to fines and other punitive measures, especially with rising compliance standards carrying real consequences.

Organizations need cybersecurity professionals to help them out. But where to find them?

Especially when there is a global shortage of security professionals that has reached 3.5 million unfilled positions as of 2021, according to the New York Times and Cybersecurity Ventures.

The problem is compounded, according to ISACA, a nonprofit information security advocacy group. Their in-depth study shows that most employers struggle not only in hiring talented cyber-professionals but also in developing and retaining them. ISACA illustrates the growing crisis very clearly in its infographic:

Strategies to Overcome the Cybersecurity Talent Shortage

1. Broaden the Candidate Pool Beyond Traditional Tech Backgrounds

Organizations typically start by either searching for candidates themselves or enlisting the help of recruitment companies. However, with the required skill sets and experience in short supply, many cybersecurity jobs sit unfilled for six months or more.

One way to tackle this problem is by looking for professionals with non-traditional backgrounds.

By adjusting two key hiring requirements — technical background and previous experience in cybersecurity — a whole new talent pool becomes available.

As the (ISC)² report points out, 30% of cybersecurity professionals worldwide launched their cybersecurity careers after holding a non-technical role such as in business, accounting, or marketing.

Some organizations, such as IBM, opt for hiring and training professionals from industries like retail, education, entertainment, and law.

This approach demands a lot from enterprises. It requires viewing the development of cybersecurity professionals at both an individual and team level as paramount. Organizations must invest time and training to develop these skills. On-the-job training can be compounded by building and practicing incident response plans. This allows teams to practice for when a breach occurs and perform more effectively and quickly when it does.

2. Partner with a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP)

Partnering with an external cybersecurity company is a win-win, especially in light of limited IT resources and staff.

An MSSP partnership allows organizations to use automated tools in lieu of internal cybersecurity staff. Regardless of size, partnering with an MSSP is becoming essential:

• Large enterprises are looking for advanced managed security services, including threat management, vulnerability management, anti-malware, scanning, and testing. They seek sophisticated SECaaS solutions to bolster their defenses against constant cyberattacks.
• Distributed organizations, such as hotel and restaurant chains, are prime targets. They rely on advanced managed cybersecurity to protect customer data and financial information at each location.
• Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), such as law and accounting firms, turn to MSSPs due to their limited budgets and human resources. MSSPs help them stay protected and compliant with various regulations.

3. Focus on Security Solutions That Automate and Educate Simultaneously

Cybersecurity jobs are resource-intensive, especially with growing threats and compliance demands.

Focusing on cybersecurity solutions that automate processes and enable lower-skill individuals to be effective while learning is key. This practical, learn-as-you-work methodology means that cyber professionals build their skills on the job.

Cymulate's Security-as-a-Service platform is a prime example. It can be effectively used by security professionals of every skill level while naturally and easily increasing their skill sets through use.

Cymulate’s platform enables launching attack simulations against enterprise infrastructure, with expert-created assessments constantly updated with the latest attack techniques. Practitioners using the platform increase their adversarial knowledge and defensive skills, making them better defenders over time.

With Cymulate, continuous security validation has never been easier to deploy and maintain. Your enterprise will be more secure and compliant — and your security professionals happier and better skilled.