Understanding how to close the cybersecurity skill gap necessitates thinking outside the box. While there has been improvement, there is still potential for businesses to adapt, which requires not only a shift in how managers think about hiring but also a shift in how recruiting managers communicate with human resources.
According to a July 2020 report from the ISSA and the Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), 70% of
ISSA members believe the global cybersecurity skills shortage has impacted their organization. The 2020 (ISC)2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study states that 64% of responding security professionals experienced skills shortages within their own organizations.
Clearly, many organizations continue to struggle with finding and retaining the expertise they require, owing in part to the rapid growth of their cybersecurity skill requirements.
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Here are some suggestions by experts that can help CISOs and hiring teams in dealing with the negative impact of the cybersecurity skills shortage.
Employees should be rewarded
About the factors leading to cybersecurity skills shortages in their organizations, the overwhelming majority indicated a failure to provide sufficient pay, in the ESG report.
Although CISOs should obviously strive to provide competitive wages, many simply lack the capital to compete with web-scale enterprises. However, in some cases, innovative and diverse pay packages can also make job offers compelling.
Many employees operate in sectors that are unappealing to many cybersecurity professionals, making it challenging for businesses to hire. These include the public sector, manufacturing, healthcare, and higher education, where security teams frequently have a lot of responsibility, limited resources, and few opportunities to develop professional expertise.
A CISO may sweeten the deal by paying for employees’ involvement in certification courses and industry networking activities, or by providing extensive mentoring or training. An effective internship program, for example, will build a consistent internal talent pipeline, with active interns often staying on in full-time positions. Organizations should also think about making strategic concessions to recruit talented entry-level hires.
Invest in training
The best way to address the effects of the skills shortage is to increase overall commitment to cybersecurity training. Experts say that security professionals must continue to improve their professional skills or risk putting their organizations at a competitive disadvantage.
The cybersecurity skills gap is more acute in some technical specializations than others, with the greatest shortages in cloud computing security, security analysis, and investigations, and application security. Ongoing training improves employee satisfaction and retention by cultivating an environment of professional development and progress.
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Bring HR on board
Experts witnessed that HR departments could possibly disqualify strong job candidates because they are not very clear on the skills required to work in cybersecurity. Also, the job postings at their firms are unrealistic, requiring far too much experience, far too many credentials, or far too much specific technical expertise. to ensure the right skills are hired, CISOs need to educate HR and recruiters on real-world cybersecurity goals and needs, so they can identify the best fit candidates for the company. Clarity on cyber security plans should be shared with HR teams, so the CISO can have help in building yup a solid IT security team that will help him deliver on those objectives.
Many experts have suggested going beyond IT and cybersecurity to locate skilled people in other fields, an approach that will also require major buy-in and collaboration from HR and the business side. CISOs should advocate for the inclusion of applicants from law enforcement, data science, government, the military, and other security-related fields in hiring searches.
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