Addressing the cybersecurity skills gap stands out as a paramount challenge in fortifying companies' cyber resilience today.
Transforming the educational system to align with the modern requirements of cybersecurity professionals or retraining existing technical talent for cybersecurity roles entails a prolonged collaborative effort between the private and public sectors.
Organisations can proactively navigate the cyber skills gap by prioritising initiatives centred on retraining and maximising the potential of existing cybersecurity talent.
The cyber skills gap in the critical infrastructure sector.
The cybersecurity skills gap is a persistent issue because of a constantly growing skills demand.
In the UK over the past year, cybersecurity job postings went up by 30%, according to the National Cyber Security Centre.
To meet this growing demand, the UK's cybersecurity labour force would need an additional 11,200 employees.
This challenge becomes more acute when you drill down into the need for sector-specific cybersecurity skills.
Most cybersecurity training and information available online addresses IT security rather than operational technology security.
Advancing cybersecurity skills for CI is imperative because compromises in cyber-physical systems can be detrimental to public safety and national security.
From the shortage of experts in critical areas such as threat analysis, penetration testing, and AI, to the broader issues of workforce diversity, the problems contributing to the cyber skills gap are complex and evolving.
Organisation-wide security awareness and a culture that promotes security practices limit human errors and alleviate the workload of cybersecurity employees.
There is a significant opportunity to leverage AI for enhanced cybersecurity training.
Although the Covid-19 pandemic established the habit of remote training, when it comes to developing new skills, it is important to maintain personal interactions on a frequent basis.
Providing immersive and customised training, cybersecurity skills bootcamps enhance effective knowledge exchange.
Organisations should also be open to recruiting cybersecurity professionals that may not have a traditional background.
More than half of hiring managers surveyed in research by ISC2 and OPSWAT saw an increase in job applicants from technically experienced people with no prior cybersecurity experience.
Professionals who may not have prior cybersecurity experience can instead offer a diverse technical background that sets them up for a successful cybersecurity career.
As organisations continue to grapple with the cyber skill gap, it is important they recognise there are initiatives and strategies that can be readily implemented to empower cybersecurity employees and build cyber resilience.
This is especially important in the CI sector, where the implications of skill shortages are more pressing.
This Cyber News was published on www.cybersecurity-insiders.com. Publication date: Thu, 08 Feb 2024 16:43:03 +0000