Cybersecurity professionals are responsible for protecting
organisations from, and fixing the damage caused by, cyberattacks and
terrorists. However, there is a major shortage of cybersecurity
professionals and the issue is only set to get worse. It is predicted
that by 2020, there will be 1.5 million unfilled positions globally,
according to a report from Frost & Sullivan and (ISC)2. Careers
website Indeed reported this year that the UK came third out of ten
countries researched for the highest demand for cybersecurity
specialists.

So why is the demand for these positions so high? The primary reason
is due to the ever increasing occurrence of cyberattacks towards large
organisations. According to Cisco’s ‘Annual Cybersecurity Report 2017’,
29% of breached organisations lost revenue, which can be devastating for
a company.

However, large organisations aren’t the only victims of cyberattacks.
SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) in the UK are becoming ever
more targeted by cyber criminals due to the fact that most SMEs have
little security measures in place – 26% of which have none at all.

A business’s reputation, productivity and competitive edge are at
risk, but not only that, their customers’ confidential information also.
This is possibly the most important thing to safeguard due to the fact
that businesses can be held legally responsible if this data is breached
and this will lead to negative views of the companies involved.

Notwithstanding Brexit, in May 2018 the EU will enforce General Data
Protection Regulations (GDPR). This will require businesses to prove
that they have taken the proper measures to protect the data they hold,
or face the consequences. Given that 60% of SMEs in the UK were victims
of cyberattacks in 2016, this is an issue that can’t be ignored and
supports the need for more cybersecurity professionals.

A Cyber Essentials badge can be attained by businesses to highlight
to consumers that they are following government endorsed standards for
cyber security, which can then potentially improve a business’
reputation and profits.

Another point to consider is the way people are trained in
cybersecurity. Instead of looking for pre-qualified professionals to
fill this skills gap, it could be more beneficial for the sector to
train future cybersecurity professionals on-the-job.

SA1 Solutions consists of a team that are highly qualified to deal
with cybersecurity issues. You can trust in us to protect your business
online so it can progress seamlessly and without constant worry of being
the victim of a cyberattack. Our highly experienced team is capable of
dealing with malware, spyware, viruses, hackers and much more.