IT security industry lacking in talent, says report

Cisco’s annual security report has revealed that there is a short supply of talent in the IT security industry, and come 2015, there will be a deficit of one million professionals  worldwide.

With bigger workloads and less expertise in the field, IT teams may struggle to cope – meaning businesses could come under threat, as technology cannot be solely relied upon to keep them secure.

Enterprises cannot afford to leave their networks defenceless and vulnerable against cyber-attacks. More IT security professionals need to be hired and trained to be able to work with technology and services that meet the standards required, preparing firms for these complex cyber-attacks.

The security shortfall comes at a time where cyber-attacks are becoming more sophisticated, with Cisco’s report showing that 100% of a sample of the largest company networks worldwide generated traffic directing to websites that hosted malware. This means enterprises need not only IT security professionals who plan for and react to attacks, but also engineers who can identify and rectify potential threats, and make infrastructures less appealing to online hackers.

Having a fully staffed IT department with a full contingent of IT security professionals, does not make a firm exempt from cyber-attacks, so it is considered vital that they receive training on what data should be prioritised when protection is required.

It has been suggested that companies need to test security products more than ever before, and that many businesses with understaffed IT security departments will struggle to successfully intercept cyber threats and protect their data.

Source: http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/news/2240213003/Cisco-report-Serious-lack-of-pros-in-IT-security-careers-in-2014