The need for cybersecurity professionals is surpassing the availability of qualified candidates to fill open positions, just as rising demand for consumer products is outpacing supply and pushing inflation to historic highs. What is fueling the demand, exactly?
In this case, it is the ongoing threat of cyberattacks. The demand for cybersecurity experts grows as cybercrime increases in frequency. The solution to preventing the attacks might not be to hire more cybersecurity experts. This won’t change until the commercial paradigm for creating new applications stops promoting “first to market” over attributes like sustainability and security.
That might be particularly difficult in the public sector, where many networks are made up of legacy systems and platforms that are at least as old as some of the users. For such reasons, it is not cliche to state that the issue will most likely worsen before improving. But many of the same problems persist in even the newest systems. Developers who chaff at investing effort into any qualities that take velocity away from their creation of new products can still sell those products today, even without security baked in, and this reality keeps cybersecurity firms in business with clean up after them.
This year, most ransomware groups openly acknowledge that it’s more difficult to make money. Organizations are paying less, and the majority of those that do are paying less. Law enforcement has gotten stronger at tracking down criminals, identifying them, and locating and dismantling otherwise legitimate enterprises that received a portion of the proceeds from cybercrime. It has been a rare victory for cyber law enforcement organizations, albeit a modest one.
Demand For Cybersecurity Professionals Remains High
The good news is that there are many opportunities available for people looking to pursue a career in cybersecurity. In the previous 12 months, the demand for specific occupations’ cybersecurity skills climbed significantly. There is critical importance for feeder roles and thinking more creatively about on-ramps and career pathways.
“Demand for cybersecurity talent has been accelerating for years, and employers are showing no signs of taking their foot off the gas,” says Will Markow, vice president of applied research at Lightcast. “That’s why it is more important than ever to build robust talent pipelines to ensure a safer digital world. We can’t accept leaving holes in our cybersecurity defenses simply because we don’t have enough trained workers to plug them.”
The data should motivate experienced cybersecurity specialists to step up their efforts to increase youth and adult awareness of cybersecurity career opportunities. In this way, younger professionals entering the market will have the opportunity to learn more about the various kinds of cybersecurity-related roles that are needed in both the public and private sectors.
