Using upskilling to help address the cybersecurity talent shortage

Since the start of the pandemic, many organizations have broken digital barriers at record speed.

The era of cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT), generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), automation and online collaboration tools has accelerated digital and human connectivity. 

But these new hybrid human-digital ecosystems are often fragile. And threats are increasingly sophisticated. Many organizations are sounding the alarm for more investments in their people, but they’ve been dealt a critical hit: talent shortages. This hurdle can make it extra difficult to pad their defenses. To catch up to, and outrun, emerging cyber threats, many organizations will likely need to look within to create a holistic team of cyber defenders—using upskilling as their secret weapon. With regards to GenAI alone, 69% of CEOs believe that GenAI will require most of their workforce to develop new skills in the next three years.

Cybersecurity is facing the perfect storm

Digitization trends have left many cybersecurity professionals—and organizations—on uneven ground. These challenges often run deep and were gaining momentum before disruptions like the Great Resignation, the pandemic, or the advent of GenAI impacted global enterprises.

1. The meaning of security has changed.

Technology not only has become faster and better, but it has also become more complex. We’re connected through a tangled web of devices, data and digital where attackers can survive underground unnoticed. And just when organizations think they’ve pulled one weed, another springs up.

Core business processes that existed within physically secure servers may now only exist as a single line of code—but that doesn’t mean it’s easier to keep safe. Forty-nine percent of CEOs have ranked cyber risks as the top threat to growth in the next 12 months. Many organizations are forecasting a 53% increase in cybercrime and are looking to bring on more resources to help combat these growing threats against cloud services, supply chain software, ransomware and malware.

No business is immune to cyber threats. To help stay secure, cybersecurity professionals should stay vigilant, and the rest of the organization should also get involved. From the C-suite to the board to risk, technology and security functions—everyone can play a part in protecting against cyber-attacks, disinformation and vulnerabilities.

2. It’s not just a talent shortage. It’s a talent crisis.

And if it grows any stronger, it can continue to jeopardize organizations' abilities to safeguard against fast-spreading digital threats.

More than half (51%) of executives say they plan to add full-time cybersecurity staff. Cloud security, security awareness, endpoint security, and real-time threat intelligence capabilities are top priorities. But there are coverage gaps—and they are wide. In the US, 50% fewer candidates are available than are needed in the cyber field. Globally, it was estimated that 3.5 million cybersecurity jobs went unfulfilled in 2021.

Many organizations can’t afford to wait for fresh talent to come in. Cybersecurity is still a relatively new field of study on college campuses and threats and strategies for managing them are ever-changing. And if you want to take advantage of more experienced hires, they will likely need to be cross-trained. To help prepare both new and experienced talent, organizations should understand skill gaps and move employees through cybersecurity upskilling quickly without sacrificing skills acquisition.

3. There’s a lot of learning software out there.

With so many options, organizations either don’t have the time or resources to help narrow down which one of the leading cybersecurity learning development platforms for their needs. And with how fast this next evolution of GenAI-driven change is impacting markets, content can quickly go out of date. How do you know if you’re getting the latest and greatest information?

As a result, many companies establish individual learning budgets for cybersecurity practitioners. But this can often result in leaving money on the table or mismatched skills development, widening the skills gaps even further. 

Look to upskilling for a fortified defense to cybersecurity threats

By increasing current employees’ skills in GenAI, cloud solutions, cyber defense, data privacy and security analysis, you can help improve your organization’s capabilities in protecting data and systems, help mitigate risk and improve resilience against cybersecurity threats.

ProEdge offers cyber-specific learning content that can help organizations surround cybersecurity threats from various angles for a 360-degree defense against increasingly complex risks. They can engage with thousands of pieces of cyber content served up to them via highly personalized learning paths and recommendations based on their skill level, role and future goals.

Here are a few examples of how ProEdge’s cyber channel can help boost function-specific skills across the organization:

• A cyber defense manager who has experience in security and network traffic analysis can expand their knowledge of cybersecurity threats, improve decision-making and communication skills and learn how to present recommendations. 

• A business risk manager who focuses on mitigating risks and meeting compliance requirements can build stronger digital skills such as GenAI prompting, agile methodology, continuous monitoring and automated reporting through data and analytics to help improve his department’s performance. 

• A newly appointed cyber business information security officer (BISO) can sharpen their skills in threat management by learning to create an incident response strategy and how to use GenAI to mitigate threats and improve resiliency. 

Future-proof your cybersecurity team with ProEdge cyber credentials

Learners have opportunities to earn nine ProEdge cyber credentials in areas like cyber incident management and cloud security. ProEdge cybersecurity credentials can help learners confirm their competency in skills relevant to function-specific tasks and can also be used to advance careers and cross-train employees across the organization. Learners apply their skills through realistic business projects related to their function. A virtual evaluation team reviews credential projects and confirms skill proficiency. Courses can be completed in short bursts and are meant to be taken in respect to an employee’s time and energy. PwC’s $1B investment in GenAI capabilities helps employees so they can have a one-stop-shop for addressing the breadth and depth of AI upskilling. 

With ProEdge, you get industry-leading, vetted providers delivering high quality, curated content and courses refreshed regularly that can help learners stay current with emerging skills. Your cyber professionals can get credentialed so they can get ahead of the high-velocity change within digital and cyber.

Invest in Tomorrow

Accelerate your employees’ learning and help drive scalable impact for your business with ProEdge, a PwC product —an intuitive, AI-powered learning platform that leverages hands-on experience and aggregated content to prepare your learners for real business challenges.

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