Post-pandemic, organizations across all sectors have become more vulnerable to cyberattacks. The reason? Organizations have greatly increased their reliance on technology over the past three years as the demand for remote services has skyrocketed. While a rapid rate of technological adoption was necessary, it placed organizations in a sensitive position. As a result, cybersecurity skills are in high demand.
Why the Demand for Cybersecurity Skills Is Rapidly Increasing
According to CompTIA’s State of Cybersecurity 2022, there are currently 714,548 U.S. job openings requesting cybersecurity-related skills. This is because cybercrime is increasing at an alarming rate. CompTIA’s State of Cybersecurity report also suggests that global financial damages from cybercrime are estimated to reach 10.5 trillion by 2025. Damages totaled $6.1 trillion in 2021, representing a 15% year-over-year growth rate.
Organizations are also facing the risk of reputational damage from cybercrime, which can be just as destructive as financial harm.
According to CompTIA’s Top 50 Cybersecurity Statistics, Figures and Facts:
- Fraud cases have increased 70% since 2020
- Phishing attacks rose by 48% in the first half of 2022
- Ransomware attacks increased by 41% in 2022
Moreover, although there are currently almost three quarters of a million unfilled jobs that call for cybersecurity skills, this number will rise to 3.5 million by 2025. Clearly, the need for cybersecurity skills is unprecedented, and organizations are seeking solutions.
The most in-demand cybersecurity skills include:
- Data security
- Threat knowledge
- Network security
- Data analysis
- Identity management
- Application security
- Endpoint security
- Regulatory landscape
- Cryptography
IT professionals of all types can help narrow the cybersecurity skills gap by learning these competencies. However, cybersecurity professionals with specialized skill sets are especially needed.
These cybersecurity job roles include, but are not limited to:
- Penetration testers
- Network administrators
- Systems administrators
- Cybersecurity specialists
- Cybersecurity consultants
- Cybersecurity engineers
By providing opportunities for cybersecurity training, learners looking to kickstart their career and current IT professionals seeking career growth can gain the knowledge and credentials needed to fill cybersecurity job roles and meet the rising demand for information security skills.
How to Meet the Demand for Cybersecurity Skills
Academic institutions and IT training organizations are in a unique position. They can help meet the demand for cybersecurity skills by providing training for CompTIA certifications, to students and IT professionals. Once thoroughly trained in data security, these individuals possess unique skills sought after by employers across the globe.
To effectively upskill students and IT professionals, academic institutions and IT training providers need support. The CompTIA Authorized Partner Program (CAPP) can provide a unique partnership to help organization reach their desired goals.
Benefits of Partnership for Academic Institutions
With the need for cybersecurity professionals growing every day, implementing an IT curriculum can help academic institutions bridge the cybersecurity skills gap that threatens organizations undergoing digital transformation (i.e., every organization).
In a perfect world, IT curricula would be offered as a standard at all academic institutions and would be accessible to any student interested in information technology. The curriculum would impart cybersecurity skills, along with other IT skills. This would qualify these students to fill cybersecurity and other IT job vacancies.
Offering students an IT curriculum that teaches the skills needed to succeed in an IT or cybersecurity career isn’t out of reach for any CompTIA Academic Partner. CompTIA Academic Partners are provided with resources to launch cybersecurity-focused curricula. They can leverage CompTIA CertMaster learning solutions to streamline learning, upskill students and remove barriers to entry to the cybersecurity field.
Benefits of Partnership for IT Training Providers
IT and cybersecurity training provides learners with the opportunity to establish a long-lasting, fulfilling career in technology. Although training associations deserve credit for upskilling many IT professionals through certification, some lack the necessary resources to scale and drive learner outcomes.
CompTIA Delivery Partners are provided with the tools and resources they need to streamline training and certification for IT professionals. A few of these tools include discounts on exam vouchers and CompTIA Learning Solutions, promotional content, instructional resources like certification roadmaps and exam objectives and access to CompTIA events and webinars.
Additionally, CompTIA Delivery Partners are provided with the support needed to ensure their instructors successfully promote certifications and optimize learners’ IT career pathways.
CompTIA Authorized Partners have an array of tools and resources at their fingertips to upskill learners and close the cybersecurity skills gap. Prospective partners have much to gain from the program as it can eliminate barriers to training in an organized manner, on a large scale if needed.
The Demand for Cybersecurity Skills: Increased Opportunity?
It is undeniable that there is an overwhelming demand for cybersecurity skills. And by looking at the growing need for these skills as an opportunity, training organizations and academic institutions can expand their portfolio of offerings through partnership with CompTIA to help meet this demand in practical ways.
As a CompTIA Authorized Partner, your training organization or academic institution gains access to all the resources needed to train IT professionals or students in critical cybersecurity competencies.
Looking to skill learners with the competencies needed to fill in-demand cybersecurity job roles? Find out more about CompTIA’s Authorized Partner Program.
