Yes, we know! We are back, Hackaddicts haha! And to make up for our long absence, we want to share with you some interesting data we have recently gathered, but first we have a question for you:
Have you ever received absorbed looks from colleagues when talking about Information Security and EH topics, as if it were an occult science or a taboo within Computer Engineering and Systems?
Well, we have! We recently learned that people who attended talks given by us for some companies in the hydrocarbon sector in 2014 are now training in Information Security-related topics in both Offensive and Defensive approaches, and that the trigger for their interest in these topics was (and we are proud of that) the talk given on that occasion.
Following that same line, we would like to motivate and encourage more professionals to follow the path of Information Security by sharing the data presented in a paper recently published by ISACA: State of Cyber Security 2017 Part 1.
You can download the complete original document for FREE by clicking here!
Now, let’s get to the point!
I Want to Apply for a Job in Cybersecurity: What Are the Industry Needs?
Have you just graduated or do you already have experience in other fields but want to give your career a turn and don’t know how to do it? Well, we have great news for you!
According to the results obtained by ISACA in their global survey presented in the first part of the State of Cyber Security 2017 paper, there is a great job opportunity for professionals who want to orient their career towards Cybersecurity, Computer Security, and Information Security.
The paper presents, as one of the key findings, that there is currently a strong and growing need for specialized professionals in Cybersecurity by companies but (here comes one of the problems) these consider that the supply of professionals is not high, nor suitable to cover key positions within their organizations. Needless to say, ISACA took the trouble to ground this in numbers:
Source: ISACA State of Cyber Security 2017, Page 7
In Figure 3, it can be observed that 27% of respondents consider that their organizations are not capable of filling the job positions related to Cybersecurity/Information Security.
On the other hand, when asked about the time it takes to fill Cybersecurity/Information Security job positions within their organizations, the following was observed:
Source: ISACA State of Cyber Security 2017, Page 8
In Figure 4, it can be seen that 56% of respondents consider that the time it takes to fill Cybersecurity/Information Security job positions is from 3 months to more.
Now the big question is: Why do organizations have difficulties hiring Cybersecurity/Information Security professionals? ISACA brings us the answer.
According to the information obtained by ISACA, 37% of respondents consider that less than 25% of applicants are actually qualified to fill Cybersecurity/Information Security job positions (Figure 6).
Source: ISACA State of Cyber Security 2017, Page 10
This means that 1 in every 4 applicants could be considered (if lucky) as a truly qualified professional to fill a Cybersecurity position within an organization. Likewise, organizations consider the lack of technical skills as one of the most frequent reasons for discarding applicants.
In that sense, a large part of organizations require that applicants have some type of certification in Cybersecurity topics. 69% of respondents to ISACA indicated that the organizations they belong to usually request certifications from their applicants (Figure 9).
Source: ISACA State of Cyber Security 2017, Page 13
I Want to Dedicate Myself to Cybersecurity: So… What Should I Do?
We believe you already know what to do, Hackddicts! To pursue a career in the world of Cybersecurity, you need to meet the industry’s needs, and to do so, you require two things (at least for now): Obtaining certifications and technical skills related to the field of Cybersecurity/Information Security. Both qualities will provide you with a better understanding of the Cybersecurity business and, as a result, make you much more attractive to your future employers!
If you train yourself enough, and by then, the demand for Cybersecurity/Information Security professionals still exceeds the unstable supply, we are confident that you will achieve your goal!
We hope this brief summary has been helpful to you! And once again, if you wish to read the full paper prepared by ISACA, you can download it for FREE here!