Between the rapid pace of evolving threat landscapes and emerging new technologies, the skillset required for a job in cybersecurity is changing and having an impact. In this race against growing threats, a survey from Tripwire, Inc. found 85% of professionals currently have understaffed teams. A massive 99% of them believe they cannot manage all of their cybersecurity needs with this talent shortage.
Titled the 2019 Tripwire Skills Gap Report, the survey also found that 96% of the 336 IT professional surveyed either experience difficulty in filling this gap with skilled workers, or know it’s coming. Further breaking down this group, 53% fear a loss in their ability to manage and secure configurations, 60% worry about timely identification and response to issues, and 68% show concern over their ability to remain ahead of vulnerabilities.
“Organizations can collaborate with trusted vendors to take pressure off their in-house resources,” said Lamar Bailey, a senior director of security research at Tripwire in a recent press statement. “Approaches could include more automation of security tasks and support through managed service to ensure that no critical security controls are dropped. Maintaining a strong foundation of security is non-negotiable, so it’s imperative that organizations partner across the info security community to continue meeting security goals effectively.”
When asked about the idea of collaborating and seeking outside security help, 93% agreed on the benefit outside security help would bring. 94% either already have invested into managed security services, or plan to. For the specific kinds of help these companies need, 71% answered with security assessment, 53% said penetration testing, and 51% believed assistance with vulnerability management would help the most.
