World Youth Skills Day: Experts stress the significance of enhancing cybersecurity skills through upskilling

Skilling in the cybersecurity space holds immense importance for safeguarding India’s digital infrastructure, especially considering the current state of affairs. A recent study conducted by TeamLease Digital revealed that despite the presence of 40,000 job openings for cybersecurity professionals as of May 2023, a staggering 30% of these vacancies remained unfilled due to a significant shortage of skilled individuals.

This stark gap between demand and supply has left numerous businesses struggling to recruit qualified personnel to protect their digital assets effectively. The rapidly evolving threat landscape necessitates a skilled and knowledgeable cybersecurity workforce to counteract the increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks. In particular, skill sets such as data privacy, cloud security, AI security, and network security are in high demand. However, it is not just technical expertise that is crucial; soft skills like problem-solving, communication, teamwork, and collaboration are also highly sought after in cybersecurity professionals. By investing in skilling initiatives and nurturing cybersecurity talent, India can bridge this skill gap, fortify its digital infrastructure, and ensure the smooth functioning of critical sectors such as finance, healthcare, and government services.

Expressed below are the views of some thought leaders from India:

Rajarshi Bhattacharyya, Co-Founder, Chairman and Managing Director, ProcessIT Global

Due to the ever-expanding threat landscape, there is a high demand for cybersecurity professionals. Skills shortage in this domain creates potential gaps in cybersecurity. Cyber Security jobs come with tremendous pressure compelling security experts to leave their profession and the demand continues to rise. Building skills in-house, partnering with managed security service providers (MSSPs), and automating routine tasks are some of the ways of mitigating the cybersecurity skill gaps. Sharing threat intelligence with other organizations can help in enhancing detection and response capabilities while reducing efforts. Initiatives should be taken by the government and business houses to inspire individuals to pursue careers in cybersecurity.

Vinay Sharma, Regional Director, India and SAARC, NETSCOUT
The increasing demand in the coming days for cloud security engineers, security software developers, and CISOs may not be fully met due to a shortage of skills. This skills gap challenge in cybersecurity which is present in organizations across the globe is unlikely to disappear soon. One of the ways to address this is to deploy AI and Automation as the primary line of defense in identifying security threats. Additionally, it is important to train and upskill existing employees, develop strategies to avoid burnout and ensure talent is retained within the organization.

Shailendra Shyam Sahasrabudhe, Country Manager, India, UAE and South East Asia, Cymulate
Far too often we are working with a smaller staff than we would like and a wide array of skills sets. It is essential that solutions take this into consideration if they wish to be able to appeal to all cyber-maturity levels. For less experienced practitioners, the solution should provide value out of the box and increase cybersecurity offense and defense skills from day-to-day use. For higher-level cyber/maturity professionals, the solution should be open and customizable and liberate them from time-consuming tasks so they can focus on the more important things.

Chetan Jain, Founding Executive Director, and Managing Director, Inspira Enterprise
In today’s era of extreme digitization, rampant data breaches and strict privacy regulations like the GDPR and CCPA, cybersecurity professionals play a pivotal role. By investing in the right cybersecurity talent, organizations will not only strengthen their digital infrastructure, safeguard confidential information, and uphold the trust of their stakeholders, but will also save millions of dollars. The cost of a security incident is pretty significant when you consider brand reputation, loss of trust, recovery time and the penalties. Skilled cybersecurity professionals are therefore vital for ensuring a stable and secure environment and providing robust protection against potentially devastating cyber-attacks.”

Mitish Chitnavis, CTO, iValue InfoSolutions
As networks become more complex, professionals with expertise in network security are indispensable. They must possess in-depth knowledge of network protocols, firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and other security measures to identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities within the network infrastructure. Along with technical expertise, Cybersecurity professionals also require a range of essential soft skills. Problem-solving capabilities enable them to analyze complex security incidents and develop effective solutions. Communication skills are vital in articulating security risks and strategies to non-technical stakeholders