Skip to main content

Cyber security talent shortage 'must be addressed'

Published on: 23 Oct 2019

Cyber security training is falling short, one expert has warned.

A global expert in cyber security has warned that the dearth of talent in the industry must be addressed if businesses and individuals are to keep themselves safe from emerging threats.

Cyber security training manager at Hewlett Packard Enterprise Joanne O'Connor told Silicon Republic magazine that education can be "non-existent" in smaller firms and woefully inadequate even at larger companies.

Indeed, she said some firms are still relying on the once-a-year 'death by PowerPoint' form of training, instead of adopting a continuous learning approach that mirrors the continually evolving threat landscape.

If a safe and secure digital economy and society is to be constructed, Ms O'Connor warned that we "must address the cyber security talent shortage from a much earlier age and stage of life".

The expert also said she has concerns about the lack of gender parity within cyber security, especially since addressing it could "go a long way to bridging talent gaps".

Earlier this year, research from Cybersecurity Ventures predicted women will represent more than 20 per cent of the global cyber security workforce by the end of 2019, up from just 11 per cent recorded by Frost and Sullivan in 2013.