Building A Cyber-Savvy Nation In The Face Of A Talent Shortage

Uploaded on 2024-02-16 in JOBS-Training, FREE TO VIEW

Headlines often focus on the drama of cyberattacks and data breaches, but there’s a less visible issue hiding beneath the surface - the UK's growing cybersecurity skills gap. This gap, representing a shortage of qualified professionals, presents a significant challenge for both businesses and national security

Around 50% of UK businesses lack basic cybersecurity skills, leaving them exposed to cyber threats with potential consequences like financial losses, operational disruptions, and reputational damage.

Consider the impact of a data breach on a retail giant, exposing customer information and shaking consumer trust. For example, the JD Sports data breach in 2023 affected around 10 million people as cybercriminals gained access to a database with customer full names, delivery and billing addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and final 4 digits of payment cards. This shows how destructive a cyber attack can be, which is much more likely to happen without enough competent cybersecurity staff to secure a business and react to such attacks.

The issue extends beyond businesses. Our critical infrastructure, from power grids to financial systems, is increasingly reliant on secure digital systems.

A lack of skilled cybersecurity professionals creates vulnerabilities that could have serious ramifications for national security. Imagine the chaos caused by a ransomware attack on a healthcare provider like the NHS - it would jeopardise vital services and patient data.

Understand The Cause

The root of the skills gap starts in the education system. Graduates enter the workforce equipped with outdated knowledge, ill-prepared for the dynamic cybersecurity challenges they encounter. Even experienced professionals face an uphill battle, needing to constantly upskill and reskill to stay ahead of the curve. This rapid innovation cycle creates a knowledge gap, leaving both newcomers and veterans vulnerable.

Adding fuel to the fire is the intense competition for talent. Highly skilled cybersecurity professionals are in high demand across industries, leading to bidding wars and attractive job offers.

While this can be beneficial for individual professionals, it creates a revolving door effect within the industry. Employees, lured by better opportunities and compensation, jump ship frequently, depleting the overall talent pool and hindering knowledge retention within organisations.

Some are simply leaving the industry completely - by 2025, Gartner predicts nearly half of cybersecurity leaders will change jobs and half of that 50% will leave for completely different roles, showing the reality of the struggle in retaining talent, let alone finding and hiring cyber experts.This talent drain further exacerbates the skills shortage, creating a vicious cycle.

Create A Cyber-Savvy Culture

Building a culture of security within your organisation is crucial - Gartner predicts by 2025, lack of talent or human failure will be responsible for over half of significant cyber incidents. Implement multi-layered training programs that cater to all employees, regardless of their role. This may include equipping your IT and security teams with specialised training on new technologies such as AI-powered security solutions. This ensures they have the tools and knowledge to combat sophisticated cyberattacks and proactively safeguard your critical data and operations.

However, investing in your workforce is not a one-time expense, but an ongoing commitment.

Regularly assess your team's skills and knowledge gaps, adapting training programs to address emerging threats and technological advancements. By prioritising continuous learning, seeking expert guidance, and fostering a culture of security throughout your organisation, you can build a cyber-savvy workforce that's prepared to navigate the complex digital landscape and protect your business from the ever-present threat of cyberattacks.

Invest In The Cybersecurity Generation

The responsibility to mitigate the skills gap falls not just on businesses, but also on governments. Fostering a robust cybersecurity ecosystem requires prioritising education at all levels. This means establishing policy frameworks that mandate cybersecurity education in primary schools, secondary schools, and universities.

For example, governments could turn the tides on the cyber skills gap tomorrow by adding cybersecurity to the school curriculum, but they aren’t seeing the risks behind the shortage yet. Additionally, allocating funding for skill development programs and incentivising universities to offer specialised cybersecurity degrees are crucial steps towards building a knowledgeable workforce.

Investing in younger minds holds immense potential. Supporting initiatives like Cyber Explorers equips young people with relevant skills and cultivates their interest in this critical field.

They uncover how digital, computing and cyber security skills are integral to successful career paths.These early interventions create a sustainable talent pipeline, ensuring a future generation equipped to tackle the evolving cyber threatscape. By taking these comprehensive steps, governments can play a decisive role in bridging the skills gap and securing the nation's digital future.

Unified Action Is Required

Ignoring the cybersecurity skills gap isn't an option. By prioritising workforce development, seeking expert guidance, and supporting government initiatives, businesses can build resilience. Governments, through education, collaboration, and nurturing future talent, can contribute to bridging the gap and building a more secure digital future.

We need to see governments playing an active role by encouraging collaboration within the economy. This could look like providing financial incentives for cybersecurity firms to offer training programs to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs,) fostering knowledge sharing and empowering smaller organisations, often lacking the resources to build robust defences.

But it’s not all on governments - this needs to be a collective call to action. Businesses need to identify the security skills needed and focus on upskilling or reskilling programmes for employees, which will include reaching out to cybersecurity experts for guidance.

Governments need to increase funding for cybersecurity education programs at all levels to create a pipeline of skilled professionals. Only through this collaboration can we address this critical challenge and ensure a secure digital future for all.

Spencer Starkey is VP EMEA of SonicWall

Image: Unsplash

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