It?s a bold statement to be sure: that by creating a sustainable pipeline of cybersecurity talent we might change the world. Yet, it?s one we should not hesitate to investigate as we watch cyberattacks grow at an exponential rate, threaten entire infrastructures, and put human wellbeing at risk.
Despite the headlines we?ve seen over the past two years indicating a dire need for better protection against these attacks, there is still a cybersecurity workforce gap of more than 2.72 million positions. While that number has been steadily decreasing year over year, it?s simply not enough. According to the 2021 (ISC)? Cybersecurity Workforce Study, the global cybersecurity workforce needs to grow 65% to effectively defend organizations? critical assets.
But no one organization can close this gap alone. No single government can fix it. No standalone institution can train enough skilled professionals. Truly making a difference in deterring and mitigating cyber threats, and defending the bodies they threaten, will require active and ongoing participation and partnership between industries, academia, and governments, competitors or not.
We are at a precipice
As Sandra Wheatley Smerdon, Senior Vice President, Threat Intelligence, Marketing, and Influencer Communications, Fortinet Inc. notes, “When someone considers a career in a ‘helping’ profession, their thoughts naturally turn to doctors, nurses, teachers, and first responders like police officers or emergency medical technicians. These people devote their lives to helping to keep the world safe and healthy. And although a career in cybersecurity might not be the first job to come to mind, cybersecurity professionals protect the digital world from cybercrime much the same way that police officers protect neighbourhoods.” As our mental and physical wellbeing depend more greatly on the digital world, cybersecurity professionals should be considered as essential as any other protector of our lives.
Across industries, we have made immense strides in digital innovation, including building internet access in remote areas, delivering much needed medical supplies via drones, or bringing quantum computing to the mainstream. We have built great technology that now underpins human progress across economies, society, health, humanitarian efforts, and of course business. Yet, training and hiring the talent to secure these innovations aren?t keeping pace. Without great talent, you can’t create, operate, or maintain great tech.
This is where our drive to innovate is failing us, where we are failing ourselves and leaving our most important resources vulnerable. Thankfully, closing the cybersecurity skills gap is a surmountable challenge. If we do it together.
Partners in sustainability
The first step to achieving this vision is connecting the dots between early STEM education, cybersecurity career training, hiring methods, and ongoing up- and re-skilling. This may include the development of early cybersecurity education, non-profit workforce development organizations teaming with companies to fill open roles; local government programmes that provide youth with access to mentorships; or free ongoing education and certifications.
Diversity is critical
The multidisciplinary nature of the cybersecurity field, which includes technology, finance, risk, legal, compliance, project management, training, and communications, should be embraced for its appeal to those with diverse skills, backgrounds, and experiences. Tapping into new sources of talent and welcoming non-traditional pathways to cybersecurity careers can lead to a more diverse talent pool, which can be further nurtured through on-the-job training, professional development and networks, micro-certifications, and more.
While relevant technical skills and job experience will never be completely replaced, the most important qualifications for cybersecurity professionals include strong problem-solving abilities, curiosity, much-neededeagerness to learn, strong communication skills, and strategic thinking.
The time is now
There has never been a better time to create a new, more diverse cybersecurity talent pool, one that includes under-represented minorities, veteran populations, young women, and those in previously untapped geographic locations. The past two years and pandemic circumstances have already increased the number of remote workers and companies willing to hire from new areas.
The next step is to work together to fully embrace bringing free education and opportunities to a wider audience, opening doors to non-traditional applicants for exciting, impactful, stable, and well-paid roles in cybersecurity.
By coming together, we eliminate the closed-loop of hiring and instead enable a new generation of learners with the education, training, and opportunities necessary to not only close the gap today but sustain pathways for ongoing generations of cybersecurity professionals to protect our most precious resources.