Cybersecurity: Growing Demand in Tech

by Riia O’Donnell

In May of this year, over 200,000 computers in 150 countries were hit with the WannaCry ransomware attack. Cybersecurity experts quickly responded, but the attack netted the hackers $100,000 in Bitcoin in a few days. Compared to 2015’s Cryptowall, (estimated to have made its creators over $300 million), WannaCry was more of a wake up call than a money maker. Major players, companies you’d anticipate have a battery of cybersecurity personnel: Target, Sony, JPMorgan Chase, and many others have fallen victim to data compromise in the last year. Companies large and small that don’t heed the call could be vulnerable for the next attack. The answer, cybersecurity. The challenge: hiring qualified talent that can protect your infrastructure.

Cybersecurity Demand

Global demand for cybersecurity experts is expected to reach six million by 2019: the same projections anticipate a shortfall of 1.5 million workers. A full 25% of companies will be left without the talent they need to protect their business. Rather than the average $300.00 request from WannaCry, if cyber attacks continue to increase, the exposure for many companies could be close-the-doors devastating.

In 2015, Penninsula Press, from Stanford Journalism, reported over 200,000 cybersecurity jobs went unfilled, up 74% over the 5 years previous. The numbers are staggering, and will continue to grow as the threat of malware, hacking, and ransomware continues.

Coming Soon in Cybersecurity 

To combat the problem, universities are teaming up with companies across the globe to prepare a workforce for the issues of today and tomorrow. At the University of Maryland Baltimore County they’ve teamed with IBM Research, establishing the Accelerated Cognitive Cybersecurity Laboratory, dedicated to develop tech that helps analysts identify threats and problems faster.

Google will open a campus in Mountain View in cooperation with DC’s Howard University. In addition to advancing Google’s diversity employment initiatives, computer science students will study there for several months, honing their skills in computer science and cybersecurity.

Also responding to the threat, ABET,  a nonprofit, non-government organization that accredits applied science, computing, engineering and engineering technology coursework for post-secondary institutions, is poised to launch a set of standards for cybersecurity professionals. They hope to include communication skills, the ability to function well in teams, and an understanding of ethics and the law, into the program.

The Cost to Secure Data

Companies looking to hire can expect to pay at least 10% higher for cybersecurity employees than their IT counterparts, with a median salary of $90,000.00 . U.S. News and World Report ranked information security analysis jobs 19^th on its list of the 100 best STEM jobs for 2017.

For companies, the challenge is to hire employees who can fulfill their security needs for today and tomorrow. With few, if any, advanced degree-holders in the marketplace, prescreening candidates for qualifications is a must. With so many nuanced ways to attack, and so much emerging from hackers, the challenge to stay ahead of the curve is daunting. Let Rankdone help you protect your company from attack with tests that verify your applicant can get the job done. Start testing candidates today, with Rankdone.