How The Cybersecurity Staffing Shortage Can Put Your Business At Risk
Cybersecurity | Managed Services
The shrinking talent pool in the cybersecurity industry has had a ripple effect on organizations spanning nearly every industry. Given today’s growing trend toward digitalization, the problem is expected to only worsen in the coming years.
Rising technology dependence has resulted in rampant cyber attacks. With a steady rise in the quantity and types of cyber threats, the need for cybersecurity experts has risen exponentially.
According to one eye-opening prediction by Gartner, the lack of cybersecurity professionals or human failure will be to blame for half of the significant cybersecurity incidents by 2025.
Acknowledging the crisis, the federal government last month launched a “Service for America” program.
The initiative, which falls under the National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy (NCWES), is a concerted effort to recruit and train Americans for jobs in cybersecurity, technology, and artificial intelligence (AI) by promoting skills-based hiring over college degree requirements.
In an effort to combat the onslaught of cyber threats like phishing and ransomware, more organizations than ever are looking for skilled cybersecurity experts to tackle sizeable network security projects and issues such as: cloud security, AI, endpoint protection, and industry compliance requirements.
Businesses are starting to realize that the cost of cybersecurity pales in comparison to the cost of a data breach.
Related Article: Does Cybersecurity Risk Keep You Up At Night?
If you’re like other organizations trying to fill one key cybersecurity position or build an entire team, you’re facing the same hiring roadblock: a lack of qualified applicants. Not having the right staff with the necessary cybersecurity knowledge and experience could leave your sensitive data and key assets susceptible to cyber incidents.
After reading this article, you will understand the leading causes for the cybersecurity staffing challenges and how you can protect your critical infrastructure from potential harm.
Why The Cybersecurity Staffing Shortage Persists
The cybersecurity labor market has been historically tight. According to the latest CyberSeek data, there are only 1.1 million cybersecurity professionals in the workforce available to fill about 500,000 job openings in the U.S.
The 2024 International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC2) Cybersecurity Workforce Study puts the cybersecurity shortfall at an estimated 4 million globally.
Leaders in key industries including banking and capital markets, energy and utility sectors, and insurance and asset management, have all reported that they are woefully understaffed to meet their cybersecurity needs.
There are several root causes for the cybersecurity labor market shortage.
Here are the main factors at play:
- Growing demand due to global technology dependence and an explosive increase in the number of security incidents
- Length of time needed to obtain a college degree, various software certifications, and real-world experience
- Employee burnout from overloaded job responsibilities
- Job stagnation and subsequent disinterest or boredom by existing IT staff
- Business salary and budget constraints
When examining the available pool of candidates, you will find that resumes vary widely. Cybersecurity jobs differ from general IT jobs because of the increased amount of education, certifications, and experience needed to be able to perform the job well. Some people are self-taught; others follow a more traditional path.
All of those qualifications take time to obtain, which can deter some people from even entering the career field or discourage them from remaining in it.
Furthermore, while some candidates may possess the necessary education, they lack practical job experience, or vice versa.
Another factor impacting the availability of credentialed talent is the fact that many seize upon more lucrative opportunities at enterprise firms, leaving small businesses to compete for talent among a significantly narrower pool of potential candidates.
For these reasons, cybersecurity jobs can be time-consuming to fill. On average, cybersecurity vacancies take an estimated 21 percent longer to fill than other IT jobs, according to CyberSeek.
What's The Bottom Line?
After reading this article, you now know why demand for cybersecurity professionals will continue to rise and the organizational risk factors not having one can create. You also have a thorough understanding of the roadblocks to finding qualified people to fill cybersecurity openings within your company as a way to boost your security posture.
At this point, you may be contemplating the benefits of managed services versus trying to hire a cybersecurity pro.
If you’re comfortable with the time, energy, and expense of trying to scout, advertise, recruit and retain qualified cybersecurity staff, then an IT managed services provider may not be a good fit for your business.
However, given the ongoing cybersecurity job marketplace shortage, and the length of time needed to hire suitable personnel, you may decide that adding a cybersecurity position to your payroll may not be worthwhile.
An MSP such as Kelser already has the experienced and certified staff with extensive industry knowledge to handle all of your cybersecurity needs.
At the same time, MSPs can provide continuous monitoring of your IT environment and implement an early detection and response system to help safeguard your important equipment and sensitive information.
MSPs proactively monitor for suspicious activities, install patches and update software to keep your infrastructure and devices protected from the latest cyber threats. They also generally oversee your entire technology strategy and infrastructure to make sure your business has the tools it needs for what’s next.
We recognize that no two companies will have the exact same needs and concerns, which vary depending on their size, location, industry. That’s why we encourage you to explore your options.
Related Article: Small Internal Team? An IT Provider Can Supplement On-Site Staff
Keep in mind that it’s important to find an MSP that will take the time to understand your specific pain points and create a tailored plan to help you reach your end goals.
You may be grappling with issues like:
- Migrating to the cloud
- Implementing end-point protection
- Establishing multi-factor authentication
- Deploying the latest anti-virus and anti-malware software using AI tools to protect your network
- Meeting regulatory compliance requirements such as NIST and CMMC
As we mentioned earlier, the cost of hiring a cybersecurity professional will mean budgeting for advertising, recruiting, salary and benefits, equipment, and other ancillary costs to satisfy a single need.
On the other hand, with managed IT services you get a cybersecurity expert as part of a comprehensive managed IT support services package—all for a fraction of the cost.
Click on the button if you would like more information on the cost of managed IT services.
If you prefer talking with a human, click the button below and one of our cybersecurity experts will reach out to see if we are a good fit to work together.
