What the 2013 Global Information Security Workforce Study Tells Us about the Cyber Professionals of Today and the Ones We Will Need Tomorrow
Information technology, from network systems to email processing to data storage, is an ever-expanding field that moves at lightning speed. Whether the IT workforce can keep up with the unstoppable growth is another matter, particularly in the area of cyber security.
Information security professionals, while increasingly prized for their talents and expertise, are still neither numerous nor well understood by business professionals. In fact, according to the 2013 Global Information Security Workforce Study, executives still underestimate the importance of cyber-security and continue to be mystified by the threats facing their organizations.
Analyzing the Trends
The Global Information Security Workforce Study is the largest study of its kind. Sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton and (ISC)² and conducted by Frost & Sullivan, the Web-based survey covers a range of topics, including the risks posed by the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) revolution, cloud computing, and the ubiquity of social media. The survey also explores information security professionals’ attitudes toward secure software development.
The findings can reasonably claim to be representative of the larger information security profession. More than 12,000 IT professionals participated in the 2013 survey, a nearly 20 percent increase from just two years ago. Armed with data from these thousands of participants, the Global Information Security Workforce Study has built a comprehensive profile of the contemporary information security professional.
A Stable and Growing Field
The data confirmed that the information security profession is both stable and growing. Given the threats businesses routinely face from cyber-criminals, this is unsurprising. Even so, the degree of stability in the profession is notable. The study found that more than 80 percent of information security professionals didn’t have a change in employer in the past year.
In addition, the findings revealed that the information security profession is projected to grow more than 11 percent annually over the next half decade. Astoundingly, this growth is not keeping pace with the demand for experienced information security professionals. Workforce shortages are common in the IT industry, with more than half of IT professionals reporting a shortage of trained, capable IT security professionals. Just two percent say they think there is a surplus.
High Demand, Low Activity
Taken together, this data suggests is that IT security professionals are in high demand. Businesses are beginning to appreciate the enormity of the dangers posed by cyber-threats. But this newfound wariness and concern hasn’t translated into substantive action. In short, organizations are not taking necessary measures to secure themselves and ward off attacks. According to the survey results, IT professionals actually think their organizations are less prepared to handle security incidents now than they were in 2011. Twice as many said their organizations’ preparedness has declined in the last two years.
This trend may reflect a new sobriety in the IT security profession; overconfidence has given way to realistic appraisals of the cyber-security threats we now face. But it also indicates that businesses aren’t taking cyber-security threats seriously.
Businesses Still at Risk
The shortage of highly trained IT security professionals entering the industry combined with the lack of activity on the part of businesses to secure their data and ward off the multitude of threats they now face places thousands of companies at risk of a cyber attack.
Veteran Business Solutions offers both cyber-security consulting and IT security staff augmentation services with experienced, credentialed staff. Our staff maintains the highest security clearances and certifications and come from a variety of backgrounds, including military organizations, federal agencies and commercial industries. If your business needs additional IT security support, please call (703) 946-4922 or contact us online to schedule a consultation.
