Week-in-Review: IT talent crisis creates cybersecurity risks

Gaps in security talent pose significant risk to businesses

The IT talent crisis creates many challenges for CIOs and business leaders – making it harder to keep up with emerging technology trends and even putting their own careers on the line. According to a new report from Intel Security, the IT skills shortage is also putting organizations directly at risk for an attack. The research found, “82 percent of respondents admitting a skills shortage, with 71 percent claiming that this lack of trained information security professionals has directly led to damage to the organization as it’s become a bigger target for hackers.” The outlook of the survey appeared grim, with respondents “predicting an average of 15 percent of cybersecurity positions in their company will go unfilled by 2020.”

The research highlighted four ways for organizations to address the gap in security talent: increase cybersecurity budgets, impose stricter policies, boost cybersecurity training, and find new and creative ways to recruit and retain security experts.

In addition to these tips, business leaders facing their own talent issues might learn from the criticism of Yahoo’s talent acquisition strategy in Fast Company this week. The article, by Cale Guthrie Weissman, argues that the company, “simply did not have the system in place to cultivate the new talent and make them feel part of the new company.” A key takeaway for enabling new talent to thrive and making them feel wanted: they “must feel free to innovate.” For the full article click here 

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