For the last few days I’ve been reading Cisco’s 2014 annual security report and trying to decide exactly which parts are suitable for this site, Networked Globe and the various other outlets I write for.
One of concerns Cisco raises in their study is the labor problem facing the information security (InfoSec) community with a shortage of a million workers this year.
Even when budgets are generous, CISOs (Chief Information Security Officers) struggle to hire people with up-to-date security skills. It’s estimated that by 2014, the industry will still be short more than a million security professionals across the globe. Also in short supply are security professionals with data science skills—understanding and analyzing security data can help improve alignment with business objectives.
“There are essential a million jobs across the globe that can be filled but we don’t have trained people to fill them,” Cisco’s Chief Security Officer John Stewart told a media conference yesterday. “We’ve got a dearth of talent and skills.”
As governments tighten up laws on liability for data breaches and privacy lapses a lot of businesses will be fighting to find people with the right skills to fix their problems or help them manage various technology and security risks.
So if you have a teenager moping around the house wondering what to do for a job, or you’re looking for a career change, becoming an IT security expert might be the answer.
Just as we see many jobs disappear in the face of technological change, we see new ones appear. This is a good example.