(ISC)² CEO Clar Rosso kicked off Security Congress 2021 this morning and wasted no time addressing two of the industry’s most pressing topics – the workforce gap and the need for diversity in cybersecurity.
This year’s Congress, taking place today through Wednesday, is once again virtual as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In welcoming attendees to the yearly event, Rosso had some praise for the cybersecurity community.
“You’ve proven yourself ready for any challenge,” she said. “For almost two years, in the midst of an ongoing pandemic and unrelenting threats, you continue onward, defending our critical assets and keeping us safe.”
She then wasted no time pivoting to the challenges the industry faces on a daily basis, starting with the persistent workforce gap. Forthcoming research by (ISC)2 puts the number at 2.7 million worldwide. But rather than focus on skill shortage numbers, Rosso urged the more than 3,000 virtual attendees to think about the gap in a different way.
“For you, what does it matter if the workforce gap is 2 million, 3 million or even 4 million?” Rosso said. “The only gap number that really matters is your own. Do you have enough people in your organization right now? What would you do today if you had more staff? What preventable vulnerabilities could you address if you had more people?”
The single most effective tool to address the skills gap, Rosso said, comes down to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The underlying theme of all other recommendations was to find and retain talent to build up cybersecurity teams.
In all, Rosso shared five recommendations:
Challenge hiring practices
Cybersecurity professionals often tell ( ..
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