New Fortinet research uncovers that increase in Breaches Attributed to a Lack of Cybersecurity Skills.
Fortinet has released its 2023 Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report, which reveals ongoing challenges related to the cybersecurity skills shortage affecting organizations worldwide.
The Costly Reality of the Increasing Cybersecurity Skills Gap An estimated 3.4 million professionals are needed to fill the global cybersecurity workforce gap. At the same time, the 2023 Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report found that the number of organizations experiencing five or more breaches jumped by 53% from 2021 to 2022. One repercussion of this is that many short-staffed cybersecurity teams are burdened and strained as they try to keep up with thousands of daily threat alerts and attempt to manage disparate solutions to properly protect their organization’s devices and data.
John Maddison, EVP of Products and CMO, Fortinet said, “The cybersecurity talent shortage is one of the top challenges putting organizations at risk, as clearly demonstrated by the results of the latest Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report from Fortinet. In today’s climate, organizations must choose products that introduce automation to offload overworked teams while continuing to focus on upskilling and cybersecurity training.”
Key findings from the global report include:
- The cybersecurity skills shortage has contributed to critical IT positions not being filled, which increases organizations’ cyber risks, such as breaches.
- Cybersecurity remains a priority for boards of directors and there is executive demand for increased IT security headcount.
- Technology-focused certifications are highly regarded by employers, serving as validation of skill sets.
- Organizations recognize the advantage of recruiting and retaining diverse talent to help address the skills shortage, but doing so has presented a challenge.
The report also suggested that employers recognize how training and certifications can benefit their organization in addressing the skills gap. The training also serves as an advantage for anyone looking to advance in their current security profession, as well as for individuals considering transitioning into the field.
Beyond experience, employers view certifications and training as reliable validation of an individual’s skill set with 90% of business leaders preferring to hire individuals with technology-focused certifications, up from 81% the year before. Additionally, 90% of respondents would pay for an employee to get a cybersecurity certification.
While the report demonstrated that organizations are seeking ways to tap into new talent pools to fill cybersecurity roles, with 8 out of 10 organizations having diversity goals as part of their hiring practices. Roughly 40% of organizations indicate they have difficulty finding qualified candidates who are women, military veterans, or from minority backgrounds.
The report suggested that there was a decrease in veterans being hired compared to last year, with the number of organizations indicating they hired military veterans dropping from 53% in 2021 to 47% in 2022. At the same time, the report also showed there was only a 1% increase year-over-year in organizations hiring women (88% in 2021 and 89% in 2022) and minorities (67% in 2021 and 68% in 2022).
Fortinet’s Commitment to Closing the Skills Gap To help alleviate the challenges resulting from the skills shortage, Fortinet is committed to helping organizations improve the management of cyber risks with ML-driven automation and services, as well as increased access to cyber training. As part of these efforts, Fortinet has pledged to train 1 million people in cybersecurity by 2026 to help increase access for security professionals and untapped talent pools looking to upskill and reskill.
