Cybersecurity jobs continue to be the most in demand, as the industry cannot keep up with the number of openings, which currently sit at more than 700,000. 66% of professionals in cybersecurity roles report feeling significantly stressed at work, due to their growing workload level. The good news is there are ways businesses can start to shrink the cybersecurity skills gap now. Further, Gartner predicts that one-quarter of cybersecurity professionals will leave the field altogether by 2025, due to work-related burnout. With 50% of employees wanting to learn and earn more at work than they currently are, providing new skills training opportunities is a way to prove to professionals that your organization is worth working for. Opportunities for training that result in skills-based certificates can result in higher pay for the employee and a higher return on investment for the employer - which is critical for organizations dealing with shrinking cybersecurity budgets. Embrace New Technologies in Your Cybersecurity Strategies Digital transformation can be a double-edge sword. As investments in AI continue to increase, the skills of the workforce must keep up if organizations want to maintain their competitive edge. This is especially the case for organizations that are heavily investing in emerging technologies where skills needed for new jobs are not yet widely available. With AI set to create entirely new attack surfaces, breaches, and other entry points for bad actors, having the skills needed to understand the technology is also key to mitigating the risks of attacks. According to Salesforce, only 1 in 10 workers report having AI skills in the workplace. Rather than trying or waiting to fill the open positions in your cybersecurity teams with new talent that is hard to come by, train your existing workforce with the skills needed to manage these new technologies as you invest in them. Look Beyond the SOC for Organizationwide Support Cybersecurity is not just a security operations center imperative. Nurturing a cybersecurity-first organization requires the proper infrastructure, personnel, and skills training. Having organization-wide support is the first step toward creating a workplace culture that recognizes the value and potential of your existing workforce to support your cybersecurity strategies. That includes knowing where their current skills are across the entire organization and continually looking for ways to upskill your talent pool to keep up with the security landscape. Conclusion As the cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve, so will the skills required to get the job done. Keeping in mind that the cybersecurity skills gap will not close overnight, CISOs must remember that taking a skills-now approach is the fastest way to align your workforce with your organization's goals. Focusing on the bigger picture of creating a more agile workforce will best prepare CISOs for the challenges ahead. Now, more than ever before, organizations are leveraging technology to drive better business outcomes - it is essential organizations bring their employees' skill sets with them on the path to innovation. The future of the cybersecurity workforce will rely less on long-led legacy education models that struggle to keep up with the pace of innovation and emerging technologies.
This Cyber News was published on www.darkreading.com. Publication date: Thu, 30 Nov 2023 23:19:27 +0000