World Needs 35 Lakh Cybersecurity Professionals: How Companies Can Train Cybersecurity Experts

It seems that not a day goes past without news of another company being targeted by cyber-criminals. Although there have been many technological advancements, such as artificial intelligence-enabled tools, to help businesses tackle the growing wave of threats, it＊s still an ongoing battle.

What is making matters worse for businesses is the global cybersecurity talent shortage. A recent report highlighted that the shortfall in cybersecurity professionals will hit 3.5 million 每 while the cost of cybercrime is expected to reach USD $6 trillion by 2021 for organisations worldwide.

As businesses continue to evolve, adopt cloud, make data accessible anytime anywhere to employees and partners, cyber threats and lack of qualified talent continues to be a burning issue that needs to be addressed.

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Of course, businesses must invest in training their workforce talent to ensure that they are aware of the latest cyber threats and can do their bit to protect the organisation. Crucially, it also means that businesses need to re-look at how they structure their IT operations, ensuring that they build a team of individuals dedicated to cyber-security.

Rather than trying to find new talent externally in the small (and shrinking) pool of cyber-security experts out there, businesses should look to train their existing members of their IT team, many of whom might embrace the challenge to learn about and specialise in cybersecurity to future-proof their skillset.

Upskilling existing workforce

Developing the organisation＊s existing talent to equip them with the much-needed cybersecurity expertise can often prove more valuable in ensuring that the business is protected rather than hiring new talent.

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This can start with an assessment to identify the top talent to be reskilled, followed by a comprehensive training platform with ongoing re-training as new technologies, tools 每 and threats 每 emerge.

As the threat landscape is always evolving, it's imperative to retrain employees from time to time, not just internally but also give them access to external courses. Yet, 63% organisations are falling behind in providing training to their cybersecurity specialists.

This can be complemented by other initiatives to find and inspire new team members to join the ranks of cybersecurity experts and further boost in-house talent.

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Recruiting talent from operations, compliance or networking, offers a sustainable solution, as they are already aware of the offering of the business, and can help bridge the gap between the cybersecurity team and the rest of the business.

Creating a cybersecurity ecosystem with industry academia partnerships

Building cybersecurity skills and capabilities by collaborating with the wider business ecosystem and industry is another approach that organisations should consider. One way to accomplish this is by incorporating cybersecurity training into services that businesses 每 such as ours 每 offer to their customers.

Industry academia partnerships is another route that has tremendous potential in this field which is both relatively new, evolving and promises growth potential. Businesses can equally benefit from specialised projects, hands on trainings, research groups and collaborations that can prove vital in the collective fight against cyber-crime.

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At Tata Communications, we have, partnered with Tamil Nadu-based SASTRA University to establish a cybersecurity lab at the university, wherein students are trained on the basics of cyber security, are mentored by a diverse pool of industry experts and get opportunities to work on live projects through internships.

The result? A 360-degree exposure to the world of cybersecurity, which gives students a solid understanding of the sector and can inspire many to pursue this as a career path.

Furthermore, they enter the industry with an understanding of how businesses operate and best practices for safeguarding businesses Through similar such partnerships, Tata Communications is helping universities across the globe address cybersecurity challenges and nurture the talent of the future.

Tapping into emerging technologies

Artificial Intelligence and automation tools can help reduce the burden on the existing cyber security team. Every organisation needs to have a cybersecurity strategy that strikes the right balance between human and machine.

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Incorporating automation into a security monitoring practise, across network and end point devices, can help save valuable time to detect and respond to threats while allowing experts to focus on issue resolution. This will also increase the effectiveness and efficiency of employees, empowering them to perform better in their roles.

This can be further complemented by the expertise of Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) with services such as those performed by an advanced security operations centre.

At the end of the day, as the shortage of cybersecurity talent shows no signs of stopping, organisations need to explore new ways - upskilling their existing workforce and leveraging the cutting-edge tools and the expertise of specialist service providers - to ensure they are protected against cyberthreats which are growing in volume and complexity.