The skills gap in cybersecurity isn’t a new concern. But, new research revealed in Fortinet’s 2022 Cybersecurity Skills Gap report confirmed what many experts have assumed. The skills gap increased risk and was likely the direct cause of at least some breaches.
Data for the survey was collected from 1,223 IT decision-makers in countries across the globe. The majority of the respondents were C-level executives (34%) or directors (34%), with the remaining responses coming from a variety of positions, including owners, vice presidents and department heads.
Breaches Due to Skills Gap
The most surprising finding: 80% of respondents had at least one breach marked down to the lack of cybersecurity skills or awareness. In addition, 64% of the surveyed companies lost revenue or paid fines as a result of the breaches.
Overall, 67% of respondents agreed that the shortage of qualified cybersecurity candidates increases the risk. However, the report found that the concern level wasn’t equal. Leaders from France (81%), North America (77%) and Hong Kong (77%) showed the highest level of concern and believe that skills shortages pose extra risks.
Skills Gap Leads to Hiring and Retention Challenges
The skills gap showed up in both hiring and retaining talent, with 60% reporting that they struggle to recruit. Plus, 52% struggled to retain qualified workers. The most challenging positions to hire for due to the skills gap included cloud security (57%), security operations (50%) and network security (49%). Hiring new graduates showed the fewest problems, with only 24% struggling in this area.
However, the report also found some positives. Most notably, over the past three years, most (88%) of the surveyed organi ..
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