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On a global scale, the UK IT industry is the least satisfied with its education system. Only 14 percent of UK IT decision makers (ITDMs) feel that the UK education system fully prepares professionals for the cyber-security industry.
A new global report from Intel Security and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) found that 75 percent of IT experts claim there is a cyber-security talent shortage across the UK. The number one skill that is lacking amongst UK IT pros is threat analysis.
Responses from 775 ITDMs involved in cyber-security within their organisation were gathered from across the UK, US, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Mexico and Israel. The respondents were from organisations with at least 500 employees coming from both public and private sectors.
Most respondents (82 percent) admit to a shortage of cyber-security skills, with 71 percent citing the shortage as responsible for direct and measurable damage to organisations whose lack of talent makes them more desirable targets for hacking.
“A shortage of people with cyber-security skills results in direct damage to companies, including the loss of proprietary data and IP,” said James A Lewis, senior VP and director of the Strategic Technologies Programme at CSIS. “This is a global problem; a majority of respondents in all countries surveyed could link their workforce shortage to damage to their organisation.”
Respondents estimated an average of 15 percent of cyber-security positions in their company will go unfilled by 2020. The increase in cloud, mobile computing and the Internet of Things in addition to advanced targeted cyber-attacks and cyber-terrorism around the world make the need for a stronger cyber-security workforce more critical.