The cyberworkforce shortage creates the perfect storm for our national security.
Everyone is talking about inflation these days. It impacts prices. It affects consumer spending. And it impacts jobs. According to C4isnet.com, “The inflation expectations in 2022 are the highest in decades, which will directly impact the cost to attract and retain a cyber workforce. Even if the peak inflation is temporary due to COVID-19and disruptions in the supply chain and the financial markets, the pressure on increased compensation is a reality today.”
Across the US and all its industries, the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that we have 11.3 million open jobs, yet only 5.9 million unemployed people. Meanwhile, in the security sector, there are over 700,000 unfilled positions in cybersecurity, with an unemployment rate of nearly zero. While US job openings remain near record highs, the unemployment rate is at a two-year low of 3.6%, and wages have been boosted at a healthy clip.
So, two things are going on here that impact every profession in the country—the supply of workers is low and wages are rising. Meanwhile, every day brings news of cyberattacks that you can’t help but think could have been thwarted if the organization was sufficiently staffed with an adequate cyberworkforce.
Leaders are making huge security decisions as inflation looms.
The global cybersecurity market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 9.5% a year, reaching almost $375 billion a year by 2028, according to Vantage Market Research. That’s about double the rate of growth forecast for overall IT spending, at least over the next two years, according to Gartner. With the rise of enterprise application software, and infrastructure software along with managed services, we know IT modernization will be ongoing. Price and wage inflation along with a cyberworkforce shortage is causing cybersecurity organizations to make impossible choices amid growing threats as the rise in the adoption of LoT surges.
Cybereason is a cybersecurity technology company whose business is up and whose prospects are bright. But inflation and the growing costs of cybersecurity professionals have caused them to lay off 10% of their workforce. It’s a vicious cycle. Cybersecurity budgets are expanding due to inflation and demand, so companies reduce their workforce when workers are at a premium.
As the leaders of Lacework, who also laid off workers, state, “While we do not have control of the environment around us, we do have a responsibility to control how we operate our business and make changes as needed to best position the company for continued and long-term success.”
In contrast, at Illumio, whose software helps prevent ransomware and stops breaches from spreading across networks, CEO Andrew Rubin said the topic of downsizing or letting people go “was not on the agenda” at the latest board meeting last month. Other billion-dollar companies like Snyk and Tanium are not even thinking of slowing down when it comes to hiring.
Regardless of how you might judge the decisions of these companies, the current supply and demand issues don’t just impact the companies and the lives of their cyberworkforce; they impact the security of our nation’s data.
Cyberworkforce shortages are causing leaders to rethink employment strategies.
In recent years, a steady supply of cyberattacks targeting government agencies, financial institutions, health care, and other vital sectors have demonstrated the country’s vulnerabilities in cyberspace. They also showcase a lack of trained IT security professionals, alarming experts who have spent years tracking the growth of hacker groups.
“The cybersecurity talent shortage is one of the most significant and threatening challenges facing our industry today. We all need to think differently about the problem,” said Barbara Massa, executive vice president at the cybersecurity firm Mandiant. “We need more cyber professionals entering the career field. And a cybersecurity career should be within reach for anyone who wishes to pursue it. We need more pathways to cyber careers, and we need them as soon as possible.”
With competition for cloud security talent razor sharp in the private sector, many believe automation is the answer for recruitment, retraining and retention. “Automating STIG and CIS security measures go beyond relieving your IAs to address patches and backlogs,” states Brian Hajost, CEO of SteelCloud. “Our automation solution, ConfigOS, has served as a training tool for less experienced IAs, enabling them to troubleshoot and harden systems. In addition,having the right automation tool, simplifies recruiting and retraining efforts, preserves budget and, with everyone on the team appropriately challenged by their work, also goes a long way with retention.”
Automation addresses both inflation and workforce issues.
Inflation is creates a negative outlook for recruiting, retraining, and retaining cyber talent. The federal and private sectors compete for talent, retraining existing talent is costly and retention is short-lived as retrained talent tends to move on.
As payroll costs go up, businesses increase prices as much as possible to maintain their profit margins and stay in business. SteelCloud’s ConfigOS can help you take immediate action to help fix the worker shortage and curb inflation—a perfect storm causing soaring prices for American businesses and families.
ConfigOS hardens STIG and CIS system level controls around an application stack within minutes, removing months from your RMF accreditation timeline. We keep systems secure from the lab to production and reduce system hardening time by 90%. Using automation to speed the security process will help you achieve authority to operate (ATO) in hours, not weeks. Better yet, when you free your people to do the things humans do best—addressing those backlogs that take critical thinking skills to complete—everyone is happier, quality goes up, and people stay longer in their jobs.
Cybersecurity is an ever-changing landscape of threats, challenges, and innovations that requires adaptable, problem-solving thinkers and doers. Let SteelCloud help you address the workforce shortage and the rising cost of professionals and training with our industry-leading solution, ConfigOS.
