As 2022 gets underway, different COVID-19 variants keep businesses focused on cybersecurity issues across hybrid working models. However, an ongoing issue that could threaten efficient protection for businesses remains the ongoing shortage of talent for cybersecurity roles. Indeed, recent research by Harvey Nash Group has revealed a shortfall of 10,000 people a year in the UK’s cybersecurity talent pool alone.
To make up for that shortfall, the cybersecurity industry needs to correct the evident gender disparity that continues to be an issue for the sector. For example, it was recently found that women only make up roughly one in four jobs in cybersecurity. While some progress has been made to correct the disparity, including several organizations launching initiatives to address this (women in cybersecurity scholarships, for example, or GCHQ’s CyberFirst Girls Competition, with a shout out to the 2022 winners!), fully correcting gender disparity in cybersecurity, and hiring more women into cybersecurity roles needs to be a priority for the industry this year.
Changing Industry Perception
Cybersecurity often has the perception that it is solely focused on the lone ranger sitting in a darkened room, responding to the “bad guys.” In terms of attracting talent, this may not appeal to those who are searching for a career that is people-focused and being part of a team. The issue of not having enough women represented in cybersecurity positions ultimately boils down to the industry not doing a sufficient job in explaining how broad and attractive the industry really is for potential employees.
The industry needs to speak about cybersecurity beyond the default “attackers” and “ransomware” elements to remedy this. Cybersecurity roles involve a range of interesting responsibilities, including product development, technology architecture, people’s behavior/usability, business impact, risk management, and trade-offs, as well as situation management. To address these elements, the industry must have a broad and diverse set of skills on board. Read more:https://bit.ly/3IfRZjE