THE CYBERSECURITY INDUSTRY NEEDS YOU
In a previous article we looked at the skills shortage in cybersecurity. In this article we highlight the growing need in this important IT sector…
In a previous article we looked at the skills shortage in cybersecurity. In this article we highlight the growing need in this important IT sector.
Global demand for cybersecurity professionals continues to increase rapidly and employers are looking to millennials to fill the gaps. In a previous article we looked at a career in cybersecurity. Now we talk about what’s driving that urgent demand.
Job opportunities are booming in cybersecurity as the industry struggles to attract enough qualified people.
These shortages present fantastic opportunities to build a sustainable career in the cybersecurity sector. This important role helps protect a wealth of organisations and businesses from the rise in data breaches, computer viruses and ransomware. There is a predicted demand for over 24 million cybersecurity professionals globally by next year. This is twice the demand than for any other professional in the digital sector. The demand is so big it is pushing salaries up too. It has become a very well paid profession. In the UK, around three quarters of cyber security professionals are earning above £47,000 with 39% earning more than £87,000.
Over 87% of cybersecurity workers across the globe did not start their career in the industry.
Cyberattacks are becoming more frequent and more serious. In 2017 the spike in cybercrime began. It was highlighted by a worldwide cyberattack from the WannaCry ransomware cryptoworm. This targeted computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system. It affected 230,000 computers in 150 countries. The continued spike in cybercrime is being fuelled by malware-for-hire, which makes it easy for criminals to launch cyberattacks with computer viruses rented online. Most businesses large or small are now connected to the internet and this exposes them to potential threat from cybercriminals.
So what is the industry looking for?
It wants people who can manage the increasing number of threats as more and more devices become connected to and reliant upon the internet. There are logistical problems related to managing those threats and the need to have well-maintained, effective, digital security systems in place. They need people who have an investigative and curious mind. Cybersecurity professionals need to be digital detectives who can predict, identify and fight off potential threats. They are looking for people who are able to monitor what is going on, use appropriate software to spot when something looks suspicious, and the skills to investigate it. They need curious people who ask ‘why is this looking like this?’ and ‘what should we be doing about it?’
The current estimate of the amount of malware appearing is more than 1.5 million a day across the globe. Machine-learning algorithms are now needed to cope with the volume of threats, detecting, monitoring and protecting systems. The cybersecurity professionals of the future will be developing algorithms and finding new ways of combating cyber criminals by seeking out vulnerabilities in their systems.
Over 87% of cybersecurity workers across the globe did not start their career in the industry. Many had worked in other areas of technology before gaining enough experience to enter this specialised field.
With such a lucrative and exciting sector needing people urgently, there has never been a better time to consider training to join the fight against cybercriminals.
