How Managed Services Can Fill the Widening Cybersecurity Skills Gap

Things have been tough on the cybersecurity talent front for some time. Organizations struggle to fill security positions. When they do, they typically find themselves in a bidding war for the best candidates with cybersecurity skills. Salaries are escalating, and the number of unfilled positions continues to soar. Unfortunately, the situation is likely to deteriorate further, according to a couple of new research reports.

The recent Fortinet Cybersecurity Skills Gap study found that 60% of organizations encounter great difficulty in recruiting cybersecurity resources. More than two-thirds of those surveyed believe that the shortage of trained or experienced staff creates additional risk for their organizations. Those that manage to find personnel can’t rest on their laurels for long. A shocking 52% admitted to having trouble retaining qualified employees. Such findings make it clear that more and more organizations are going to look to managed security services to fill the void, whether engaging directly with security vendors to manage aspects of the cybersecurity landscape or with managed service providers (MSPs) specializing in security.

Widening Skills Gaps

The skills gap is rapidly trending toward becoming a skills chasm, according to another study by Skillsoft. The 2022 IT Skills and Salary Report takes an annual look at the most in-demand skills and certifications, average compensation, growth opportunities and career sentiment among IT professionals. This year’s survey found two-thirds of IT decision makers had gaping skills gaps in their teams. Fifty-three percent of respondents stated that they are likely to look for a new job in the next 12 months.

Whether due to aggressive headhunting, the “great resignation,” quiet quitting, burnout due to the demands of digital transformation or overwork due to operating with lowered headcounts, many IT and security personnel are not planning to stick around. No wonder McKinsey cites record rates of turnover across all industries.

Why They Leave

All organizations are facing HR challenges, be it recruitment or retention,  that will only grow during the coming year. Skillsoft data shows the top reasons for leaving are a desire for better compensation, lack of training and development, and lack of work-life balance. Salary demands may place certain security resources beyond the means of some companies. But training is certainly an area where organizations can gain ground by educating their own resources via industry certifications and incentivizing personnel to take cybersecurity degrees.

Yet, the survey found the biggest reason behind a lack of IT and security training is that management didn’t see a need for it. This finding stands in stark contrast to another data point from the survey: 97% of IT decision-makers agree that certified staff add value to the organization.

Further findings from the study include:

Managed Service Boom

With such a dearth of a talent and the urgent need to secure the enterprise now, no wonder so many organizations are looking to managed services to fill the gap. Some engage with their existing security vendors and transition some tools from on-premises to being operated as a service by the vendor. Others are using MSPs to take care of security duties such as vulnerability management, endpoint detection and response (EDR), backup and recovery, and even security operations center (SOC) services.

Syxsense operates in both arenas. It offers managed security services for patch management, vulnerability management and remediation. These services provide real-time, 24-hour security coverage. Syxsense also offers an MSP/MSSP program with a world-class platform that features an orchestration and automation engine to scale business without adding costs.

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