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How we can tackle the growing cybersecurity skills gaps ?

Jun29




1. We need hands-on training for people currently working in IT. Interested IT personnel should be selected and trained in cybersecurity. This can include a mentoring or apprenticeship programme within an organization, funding hands-on training in an accredited educational or industrial setting, or creating a consortium of organizations willing to work together to cross-train security professionals.

2. We also need to update our formal educational process and encourage more diversity among candidates. Students should be exposed to security issues at an early age. Those students that show promise should be encouraged to enter educational programmes that emphasize or specialize in cybersecurity. Special attention needs to be paid to encouraging women and minorities to participate in these programmes as they are significantly underrepresented in the cybersecurity industry and represent a very real solution to closing the cyber skills gap at scale.

3. Finally, we need to accelerate our adoption of automation and machine learning. Cybercriminals have been closing the time between a successful breach and exfiltrating data or planting a malicious tool. Based on the current state of the cyber skills shortage, we can no longer rely on humans to detect and respond to these threats fast enough. Automation and machine learning will allow security defences to respond in real time.

By Ramy AlDamati

Keywords: Cybersecurity, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship

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