Fortinet Training Institute is dedicated to making cybersecurity certification and new career opportunities available to all populations, including a Security Awareness Training offering for organizations to develop a cyber-aware workforce.
Fortinet has released its 2024 Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report, which highlights ongoing challenges related to the cybersecurity skills shortage impacting organizations around the globe. The study also included large organizations from the UAE. Key findings from the global report included that organizations are increasingly attributing breaches to the cyber skills gap. Certifications continue to be highly regarded by employers as a validator of current cybersecurity skills and knowledge. Breaches continue to have significant repercussions for businesses, and executive leaders are often penalized when they happen.
“The findings from our 2024 Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report highlight a critical issue facing organizations in the United Arab Emirates. Close to 58% of IT decision-makers cited the lack of training and upskilling opportunities as being their biggest challenge. This underscores the urgent need for enhanced cybersecurity training and certification programs, as 94% of our respondents said they were ready to pay to get their employees cybersecurity certified. Fortinet is committed to supporting organizations to build a resilient cybersecurity posture by providing comprehensive training and certification programs through our pledge to train 1 million people in cyber by 2026. We aim to empower professionals with the necessary skills to protect against evolving cyber threats and secure their organizations effectively,” said Alain Penel, VP – Middle East, Turkey and CIS, Fortinet.
The Cyber Skills Gap Continues to Impact Companies Worldwide An estimated 4 million professionals are needed to fill the growing cybersecurity workforce gap. At the same time, Fortinet’s 2024 Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report found that 70% of organizations indicated that the cybersecurity skills shortage creates additional risks for their organizations. The report highlighted that organizations are attributing more breaches to a lack of cyber skills. In the past year, nearly 90% of organizational leaders (87%) said they experienced a breach that they can partially attribute to a lack of cyber skills, up from 84% in the 2023 report and 80% the year prior.
This year’s survey revealed that corporate leaders are increasingly held accountable for cyber incidents, with 51% of respondents noting that directors or executives have faced fines, jail time, loss of position, or loss of employment following a cyberattack. Additionally, more than 50% of respondents indicate that breaches cost their organizations more than $1 million in lost revenue, fines, and other expenses last year—up from 48% in the 2023 report and 38% from the previous year.
Boards of directors view cybersecurity as a business imperative. As a result, executives and boards of directors increasingly prioritize cybersecurity, with 72% of respondents saying their boards were more focused on security in 2023 than the previous year. And 97% of respondents say their board sees cybersecurity as a business priority. This year’s survey also found that candidates with certifications stand out. More than 90% of respondents said they prefer hiring candidates with certifications. Leaders believe that certifications improve security posture.
Organizations Are Taking a Three-Pronged Approach to Building Cyber Resiliency The increasing frequency of costly cyberattacks, combined with the potential of severe personal consequences for board members and directors, is resulting in an urgent push to strengthen cyber defenses across enterprises. To help organizations achieve these objectives, Fortinet offers the largest integrated portfolio of more than 50 enterprise-grade products through its Fortinet Security Fabric platform.
