The cybersecurity industry is facing a significant talent shortage, with a gap that continues to widen.
In Episode 5 of Security Leaders Perspectives, cybersecurity experts shared their insights and discussed solutions to close the talent gap. They emphasized the need to expand the talent pool, invest in the current workforce, and look for transferable skills within the organization. The experts also highlighted the importance of diversifying the talent pool by considering neurodiversity and gender, creating a friendly environment for new entrants, and lowering expectations.
This article delves deeper into the insights shared by the experts and explores solutions that can help address the talent shortage in the cybersecurity industry.
Insights and Solutions for Closing the Cybersecurity Talent Gap
Lamont Orange, CISO of Netskope, suggests that security leaders should think outside the box to make their environments friendly to entry-level or new entrants into the workforce. He also mentions that looking for transferable skills throughout the organization can help tap into a pool of resources that have not been utilized.
Michael Orozco, the Managing Director of SecOps, Infrastructure & Innovation Leader, emphasizes the importance of investing in current employees. Additionally, he recognizes the significance of broadening the talent pool and diversifying recruitment sources.
Marco Maiurano, CISO of First Citizens Bank, discusses neurodiversity and how it can be leveraged within information security. He emphasizes the need to identify individuals who can excel in certain areas and how to utilize their skills.
Rohit Agnihotri, Senior Director of IAM at Northwestern Mutual, addresses how security leaders can close the gap by lowering their expectations, especially for entry-level positions. He suggests creating a good training program within the company itself to meet the required skill sets.
Michael discusses the need for gender diversification in the field of cybersecurity. He highlights the rapid minds of women in acknowledging and seeing differentiating patterns in numbers, trends, and statistical analysis, which makes them fantastic cybersecurity experts. However, he acknowledges that the field is still male-dominated and emphasizes the need to see more women in the industry.
Areas of Need in the Cybersecurity Talent Shortage
Tom Kartanowicz, Regional CISO of Global Financial Services, mentions the need for entry-level security operations center professionals when asked about the biggest area of need in the current talent shortage. Meanwhile, Lamont and Michael identify application security and cloud security as some of the areas where there are shortages of technologists.
To summarize, the shortage of cybersecurity talent can be tackled with several solutions, such as fostering a welcoming environment for newcomers, investing in the current workforce, seeking transferable skills, adjusting expectations, and broadening the talent pool. By valuing diversity and exploring untapped resources, the cybersecurity industry can close the talent gap and cultivate a more inclusive and diverse workplace.
