The Growing Demand for Cyber Security Workers

For virtually every business and individual, the outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in several life changes. Many employees who were able to continue working found themselves needing to do so from home. This has added considerable pressure to the cybersecurity industry, which had already been facing a shortage of skilled workers.

With so many individuals suddenly shifting to remote work, cybersecurity professionals found themselves needing to devote time to other IT-related tasks. According to the largest association of certified cybersecurity professionals, (ISC)2, nearly half of the 256 cyber pros surveyed were responsible for new tasks. A quarter of the same group reported that the number of cybersecurity incidents had increased as much as 100%.

According to David Shearer, CEO of (ISC)2, “the good guys and gals were vastly outnumbered prior to the pandemic.” He continued by saying "it has a compounding effect to what was already a challenge... take all of this technology we are becoming more and more reliant on and it's scaling in a massive pace."

By late 2019, more than 2.8 million cybersecurity professionals were engaged by the industry and an additional 4 million trained workers were required to close the skills gap to adequately defend organizations

With an ageing workforce, Shearer says that greater outreach is required to bring in younger and more diverse cybersecurity professionals. Women, for example, are underrepresented, as are minority groups. With surveys showing that 70% of organizations have been impacted by the cyber pro shortage, the industry will need everyone it can get before current workers begin to retire.

For those interested in pursuing a cybersecurity career, it can prove quite lucrative, with an average salary of $90,000 per year. Those with security certifications can expect to make even more. Some cybersecurity firms are looking to hire several dozen employees to deal with the needs of a rapidly expanding remote workforce, such as ensuring that remote workers have access to the systems they need, while keeping everything secure.

Fortunately, recent months have seen hiring become somewhat easier, with layoffs from other jobs resulting in more cyber workers becoming available. The ability to work remotely has also relieved pressure by allowing companies to hire candidates from around the country rather than limiting themselves to local talent.

To say that the appearance of COVID-19 brought with it many changes in our daily lives would be a considerable understatement, but among the adjustments it has necessitated, it also revealed the need for better planning in the future. With an ever-growing reliance on technology, we were already greatly in need of cybersecurity professionals, but the pandemic served to exacerbate the situation. As for the pandemic itself, forward-thinking and adequate preparation are key.

Every business should assume they have either been attacked, are being attacked, or will be attacked. Fast detection and swift response are the small business owner’s only defense.

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So, if you’re ready to put the right security in place. Contact me, I have traveled the globe Identifying security threats in Companies. I can help give your business a peace of mind as you move into the digital revolution. There’s no risk to talk with us about your business and you can stop the process any time.  But if you let us look under the hood, we’ll help you discover any potential problems before they impact your business or take your data. If everything looks good, we’ll tell you. However, if we discover symptoms of a growing threat, we’ll help you check them out to make sure you’re not exposed to catastrophic failure.