Security Skills Coming Up Short
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Information security is a top priority for many organizations. Yet a new study shows that the individuals tasked with securing data and networks may not have the requisite skills to do so. More than 3,500 information technology (IT) managers around the world participated in the survey commissioned by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA). These managers identified security as the technology skill most important to their organizations today. But IT managers also said there is a significant gap in the security skills available among today’s tech workforce when it comes to such critical areas as data privacy, firewalls and other security practices.
The importance of security technology skills was identified as a top priority across more than a dozen industries surveyed; across organizations ranging from small business to large enterprise; and across geographies.
Among IT managers in nine countries with established IT industries (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and United States), 73 percent identified security, firewalls and data privacy as the IT skills most important to their organization today. But just 57 percent said their IT employees are proficient in these security skills, a gap of 16 percentage points.
Security folks hard to find...
With so much attention focused on security, and so many resources devoted to it, why are security skills coming up short? IT managers say it’s because the security landscape changes so rapidly, with the volume and virulence of security threats growing almost daily, that it is difficult for even the most seasoned security professionals to stay ahead of hackers and cyber criminals.
* Umm.. I haven't seen a lot of company which has so many resources devoted to security. Most of the time security is one of the understated and under-estimated part of the IT. Not a lot of companies, have procedure and policies to included their security department when deploying rouge server and other vulnerable stuff on their network.
* To stay ahead of hackers and understand the continuously changing security landscape; one should invest heavily on training, seminars, books and retention of good security administrators in your company.
* I always feel that security administration is like Medical profession, to keep abreast you ( just like Doctors ) have to constantly study and update yourself with the latest exploits, vulnerabilities and threats.
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