“The skills gap isn’t just a talent shortage challenge, but it’s also severely impacting business, making it a top concern for executive leaders worldwide,” said Sandra Wheatley, SVP Marketing, Threat Intelligence and Influencer Communications at Fortinet.
Cybersecurity skills gap and shortage of talent are responsible for 80% of breaches say a global report from Fortinet, released in March 2022. Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report reveals that a deficiency in cybersecurity skills continues to impact organizations.
According to (ISC)’s 2021 Cyber Workforce Report, the global cybersecurity workforce needs to grow 65% to provide effective protection of critical assets, equating to more than 2.7 million professionals.
Fortinet’s report says 8 in 10 organizations surveyed suffered at least one breach they could attribute to a lack of cybersecurity skills or awareness. Globally, 64% of organizations experienced breaches that resulted in the loss of revenue, recovery costs, or fines.
As a result of these losses, cybersecurity is becoming a higher priority at the board level. Globally, 88% of organizations that have a board of directors say their board asks questions about cybersecurity while 76% have a board that recommends increases in IT and cybersecurity employees.
Raising cybersecurity awareness and skills with training and certifications
The report demonstrated that training in cybersecurity skills is crucial for organizations to tackle the skills gap. It says 95% of leaders believe technology-focused certifications positively impact their role and team, while 91% of respondents said they are willing to pay for an employee to achieve cyber certifications. This is due to their validation of increased cybersecurity knowledge and awareness.
The survey was conducted among 1,223 IT and cybersecurity decision-makers from more than 25 different locations, including India, Singapore, Japan, Australia, South Africa, UAE, UK, US, France, Germany, Brazil, China, and Canada. Respondents came from a range of industries, including technology (28%), manufacturing (12%), and financial services (10%).
Source: Fortinet
