Bridging the Cybersecurity Skill Gap.
There are a lot of cybersecurity positions waiting to be filled and the number is increasing by the day as more institutions are beginning to understand the importance of good cybersecurity personnel.The cybersecurity skill gap needs to be addressed.
Every organization from the financial institution to the governmental bodies requires a good cybersecurity unit to be able to match up with the current level of threat in the cyber space.
According to the 2017 Global information workforce study (GISWS), based on survey of 19,641 cyber security professionals in 170 countries anticipates that the cybersecurity workforce gap will reach 1.8 million by 2020.This is a 20 percent increase compared to the study made in 2015.
If you are currently in the cybersecurity workforce, you will understand that some cybersecurity personnel are doing the job of 5 people.These needs some changes.Being specific on your job roles is synonymous to being productive .
More people needs to be employed, these people needs some necessary skills to do this. The millionaire question is “Where and how do you get the required people?”
Cybersecurity is still at its entry stage as a career which means there are few people with certain level of Knowledge which makes recruiting quite tedious.
How to Bridge the Cybersecurity Skill Gap
There are a lot people out there with passion for cybersecurity. This is a good thing as passion is one of the key way to excel in the cybersecurity field.
Organization should start by offering internship opportunities to those individuals. This will increase the workforce in the industry
I regularly see job advertisement on cybersecurity stating a need for certifications.
Certifications are good, no doubt. For an entry level job, I doubt if that is really needed. Allow those interested could come with the little experience they have and help build them to your required level.
Give the entry level applicants a chance to show what they have to offer. These certifications are really expensive and it takes extra effort to get a lot of people with certifications in the field considering the need for this fill in the gap.
If all sectors do this, by 2020, there will be a 100% increase in cybersecurity workforce.You can also learn some basics of cyber security using Online resources
Good read, I like the last part that says firms should be willing to accept enthusiast so to encourage them.
That is the only right thing to do if we really want to bridge the gap