Introduction

Knowledge is power, and ignorance is bliss. There are two statements that, although contradicting each other, hold true in modern society. In many cases, the more you know, the better equipped you are to perform specific tasks and requirements. Similarly, in many other cases, the less you know, the better equipped you are to handle a situation. The former is especially true in the world of cybersecurity.

According to a FORTINET report on the Cybersecurity Skills Gap in Asia, it was found that the lack of talent in cybersecurity brings some challenges and consequences for organisations in Asia.

Basically, when it comes to cybersecurity in Asia, knowledge is power, but much of the cybersecurity workforce is not fully knowledgeable or equipped to work in the cybersecurity space. As a result, the talent shortage has indirectly caused security breaches and loss of money. 

Cyber Workforce Report 2021

Based on a 2021 Cyber Workforce report by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium, the Asia Pacific region has the largest workforce gap of 1.42 million. Many companies are facing many difficulties when it comes to finding potential employees with the right skill set to work in the demanding field of cybersecurity. Because the demand for these qualified cybersecurity talents is greater than their availability, many companies are made to suffer. And with 63 per cent of participating companies in the report agreeing that the shortage in skills impacts their businesses severely, it is no surprise why. 

The Importance of Training and Certifications

Because knowledge is power, and this skills gap is a result of the lack of sufficient knowledge amongst many cybersecurity talents, it seems obvious that a simple way to address this is by providing more means to attain the right knowledge. In addition to the common college degree, many companies are now looking to hire people that have certifications. According to FORTINET’s regional report, it was found that 86 per cent of participating respondents preferred hiring people with certifications, with many more believing that technology-focused certifications had a positive impact on their firms. 

Companies have become so aware of the importance of certifications that many are willing to pay for their employees to be trained and attain certifications. This is understandable because not only do certifications validate a potential employee’s cybersecurity knowledge and ability, but they also demonstrate an individual’s willingness and commitment to further master their field of work. 

FORTINET’s skills gap report demonstrated the importance of training and certifications in tackling the regional skills gap. By further training employees with short-term focused certifications, employees become better equipped to perform their tasks and duties. 

Additionally, improving cybersecurity awareness in organisations and firms is a good additional step to reduce the skills gap and subsequently, security breaches in firms. Many companies are opting to create in-house training and awareness programs to train and make their employees more aware of some of the dangers that can lead to vulnerabilities. 

Our Advice

Modern companies must invest heavily in competent training programs to ensure that no matter who is hired into the company, they will be able to quickly learn and adapt to the cybersecurity demands of the organisation. 

Furthermore, outsourcing cybersecurity training can go a long way in ensuring employees are properly equipped with the right skills to work in cybersecurity. Not all training programs are competent. This can be seen in the FORTINET report where 93 per cent of organisations have already implemented training programs to increase cybersecurity awareness, but 51 per cent of leaders still believe their employees are not equipped enough to perform all their tasks effectively. Therefore, outsourcing the training of employees to companies dedicated to training potential cybersecurity workers is a healthy and effective strategy. 

Companies and firms must also ensure to convince their current employees to obtain modern cybersecurity certifications to ensure that they stay up to date with modern society and the threats and vulnerabilities that entails.

Making certifications one of the requirements for potential employees to obtain jobs at firms is also quite an effective strategy in ensuring that companies get the right people with the right skill sets. This, although counter-intuitive to reducing the skills gap, ensures that companies minimise the risk of security breaches and subsequent loss of funds. 

Conclusion

With the constantly evolving world of IT, hiring the right people is an uphill task. This together with developing a diverse workforce while also decreasing the skills gap is a challenge that is readily accepted by most companies so they can get ready for the constantly evolving cybersecurity threats in 2022 and beyond.  


Your Prefered Cybersecurity Partner!

Condition Zebra is a CREST-certified and ISO 27001:2013 company that offers Professional Cybersecurity Solutions and Cybersecurity Training for SMEs in various industries, including Financial Services (Banks & Insurance), Government Ministries & Agencies, and Government-linked companies.

Our technical teams consist of a highly qualified team of experts who are the perfect combination of unique talents, skills and experience to lead secure software development projects and cybersecurity-related services successfully. Do not hesitate to reach out to us to protect and secure your company’s IT Infrastructures such as networks, Servers, Web & Mobile apps and others.

Learn about our services and training:

Network Penetration Testing and Web Penetration Testing is our two days online training program to equip you with the right skills in the area of Network/Web Security.

Secure Software Development Lifecycle simply means producing software with security in mind from the ground up. Let us know your needs and requirements for your software project and get a free consultation to discuss more.

Penetration Testing on a network or computer system is conducted to identify security vulnerabilities that can be used to gain unauthorized access to the network’s or system’s features and data. Penetration testing is used to help companies better protect themselves against cyber attacks. 

Source:

NST: #TECH: Cybersecurity skills gap contributes to security breaches in Asia

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