05 Nov The Cybersecurity Staff Shortage Gap is Widening

Since early 2020, the IT and Cybersecurity staff shortage gap has been widening. Despite the expanding need for said experts industries of every sector and size are struggling to fill the gaps. This fact, unfortunately, has exacerbated the numerous problems net-facing enterprises deal with.

And, while one survey found that more staff in the cybersecurity sector have been added in 2022, it still falls short of what is considered necessary. In other words, a shortage of approximately 4 million experts.

Why it’s a problem

Less available hands and resources of course spells trouble for the modern organization. The threatscape has rapidly evolved, with an abundance of threats around every digital corner. Ransomware gangs, Malware-as-a-Service, emergent AI attacks, phishing schemes, and economic concerns are just a handful of challenges contemporary businesses contend with.

That’s to say nothing of troubleshooting and problem resolution. Malicious threats are not the only stumbling block an enterprise deals with. The day-to-day tech hurdles requiring fixes also play a role, but without sufficient staff, this creates excessive delays and can lead to severe downtime. It also forces an enterprise to seek out outsourced IT. While that’s effective for short-term fixes, long-term unresolved problems can overwhelm IT.

Lack of staff and IT resources also creates issues of burnout, response fatigue, and a less effective cybersecurity workforce. Burnout leads to a problematic cycle. Lack of staff means current staff must shoulder extra work, exhausting their already limited time. This in turn leads to an increasingly tired staff, resulting in members exiting the workforce, repeating the problems. With fewer resources, staff cannot address problems, resulting in bigger issues, and said issues tire the workforce out, and so the cycle repeats.

Skill gaps broaden challenges

Another pressing issue – arguably worse than staff shortages – faces organizations: skill gaps in the IT and cybersecurity fields. Even if an enterprise onboards sufficient staff, skill gaps create vacuums in essential areas. Expertise is required to handle specific problems and challenges, but without said expertise, troubleshooting proves difficult.

It also develops long-term issues for tech-reliant enterprises. Technology is rapidly changing, with new tools and assets available to organizations every year. But that also benefits threat actors, who utilize tech to press their malicious advantage.

Even with available staff, tech skill shortages crop up. Lack of familiarity with cloud computing/cloud systems, zero-trust, anti-phishing, and cybersecurity management hobbles an industry and its ability to keep pace with modernized solutions. Once more, it prevents them from forming effective roadmaps and defenses for advanced threats. Thus, even onboarding staff isn’t the proper solution. It pays to have available hands, but not enough if said staff are not trained on good strategies.

Resolving issues and planning ahead

Despite a lack of staff, modern businesses of all sizes still must find ways to adequately update their cybersecurity policies and infrastructure. However, with the lack of available experts and staff said prospect is challenging. Therefore, organization models must remain proactive and efficiently invest in the right resources.

Companies should consider investing in long-term training and certification renewal to enhance their current workforce’s capabilities. An enterprise should also consider third-party resources, such as an MSP (managed service provider) to enhance their capabilities.

Bytagig is an example of an MSP, providing numerous services when a company lacks staff with cohesive training. Budget is also considered, with prices scaled to fit the specific needs of a client. To learn more about MSP services and Bytagig, you can contact us today.