Challenge
Organizations face the critical need for competent cybersecurity staff to effectively combat security threats and support their overall security programs. It’s essential to identify and prioritize the necessary skill sets to grow the security team in alignment with business goals. Furthermore, organizations must maintain and continually develop the right knowledge, skills, and abilities to keep pace with the evolving complexity of cyberthreats.
Common Obstacles
A significant challenge is the shortage of cybersecurity professionals, driven by rising costs and the increasing demand for specialized skill sets. Additionally, many organizations lack the knowledge required to identify the competencies needed to enhance their cybersecurity maturity. There is also difficulty in prioritizing which competencies to develop in alignment with organizational goals.
Recommendations
To address these challenges, organizations should create a customizable plan that helps define and track the professional development goals of their security staff. Developing guidelines on identifying cybersecurity skills that align with organizational needs, using a comprehensive list of competencies derived from leading industry standards, is also crucial. Finally, organizations should prioritize the most important competencies by mapping them to their specific security services.
There is a growing gap between demand and supply of cybersecurity talent. Although the number of the global cybersecurity workforce has increased, there is still a shortage of cybersecurity professionals to fill the gap. The increased cyberthreat has also made it harder for organizations to find the right talent, with organizations indicating their challenge in finding qualified individuals as the biggest cause of their shortage. This growing cybersecurity workforce gap has been a challenge for organizations globally, with many regions experiencing an increase in the shortage of talent.
A 2022 ISC2 report found that 42% of global cybersecurity roles are not filled, 54% of organizations believe their staff shortage puts them at increased risk for cyberattacks, and 23% of organizations believe that the biggest cause for the shortage is not putting enough resources into upskilling non-security IT staff.
Cybersecurity Development Framework for Security Leaders
In today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape, a robust skills development plan is essential for preparing your team to meet cybersecurity challenges. This plan should align both the professional development goals of your employees and your organization’s strategic security objectives. The Cybersecurity Development Framework involves four key steps: Define, Assess, Prioritize, and Acquire.
The first step is to clearly define the competencies your organization needs to support its security program. This involves identifying the specific skills and knowledge required for various roles within your team, ensuring they align with your business goals. Competencies should cover a broad range of skills, including technical, organizational, and leadership abilities. It’s also crucial to recognize the importance of nontechnical skills, such as innovation, communication, and critical thinking, which are vital for a well-rounded security professional.
During this step, it’s important to assess the relevance and value of each competency, as not all will have the same level of importance for your organization.
After defining the necessary competencies, the next step is to assess your team’s current proficiency levels in these areas. This involves evaluating both your security and IT teams to identify any gaps between current skills and the target state proficiency required. Understanding these gaps will allow you to create targeted actions to close them and enhance your overall security posture.
Once you’ve identified the competencies needed, it’s crucial to prioritize them based on organizational needs. Prioritization ensures that your team focuses on developing the most critical skills first, which supports better communication with stakeholders regarding investment and resource allocation. Factors to consider in prioritization include the importance of service domains, the significance of the competency to your security services, and the proficiency gap.
With competencies defined, assessed, and prioritized, the final step is to acquire these skills through various development actions. This could involve in-house training, external courses, or a combination of both. Creating a personalized development plan (PDP) for each employee will help track progress, identify further opportunities for skill development, and ensure continuous improvement. Implementing a learning assurance model can further enhance this process by ensuring that each competency is thoroughly covered through engaging courses, hands-on experience, and targeted assessments.
By following this Cybersecurity Development Framework, security leaders can effectively build and maintain a team that is equipped to handle the complexities of modern cyber threats while aligning with the organization’s strategic goals.
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