Microsoft, IBM Tackle the Cybersecurity Skills Gap
The cybersecurity skills shortage contributes to a significant portion of breaches and continues to leave companies worse for wear.
Whether it be through offering new services to alleviate the shortage or globally diversifying the workforce, organizations are desperately pursuing a solution to the talent crunch.
According to (ISC)2’s 2021 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, the global cybersecurity workforce needs to grow 65% to effectively defend organizations’ critical assets. Although the number of professionals needed to fill the gap decreased from 3.12 million to 2.72 million in 2021, this gap still poses a threat to companies around the world
With the introduction of three new security services, Microsoft is one company proposing a solution. The suite, named Microsoft Security Experts, offers assistance to understaffed security teams.
“Until we redress the cybersecurity workforce shortage, we will fall short in strengthening the country’s cybersecurity protection,” said Microsoft President Brad Smith.
The first service is Microsoft Defender Experts for Extended Detection and Response (XDR). XDR is an up-and-coming cybersecurity product that correlates data across multiple security layers to detect threats. Gartner reported it expects 40% of companies to use XDR by 2027.
The second service is Microsoft Security Services for Enterprise, which will act as a consultation service for larger enterprise companies reflecting on their own cybersecurity capabilities. This could allow companies to analyze their weaknesses or make security improvements after a breach has already taken place.
The third service, Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting, will seek out threats and uncover potential points of attack. By acting preemptively, Hunting may be able to reveal cyberattacks before they take place and prevent companies from being breached.
Along with these three new services, Microsoft also plans on directly increasing the workforce to combat the shortage.
“That’s why today Microsoft is launching a national campaign with U.S. community colleges to help skill and recruit into the cybersecurity workforce 250,000 people by 2025, representing half of the country’s workforce shortage,” said Smith. “While some of these individuals will work at Microsoft, the vast majority will work for tens of thousands of other employers across the country.”
Another company taking measures to combat the shortage is IBM, which announced education initiatives with the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Specialisterne Foundation and six Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
“We believe that the most promising job candidates for today’s demanding careers will come from communities that may have been historically overlooked or excluded due to outdated hiring policies and old-fashioned credentialing,” said Justina Nixon-Saintil, vice president, IBM Corporate Social Responsibility and ESG.
IBM announced its partnership with the first six of 20 cybersecurity leadership centers with the following HBCUs: North Carolina A&T State University, Southern University System, Clark Atlanta University, Xavier University of Louisiana, Morgan State University and South Carolina State University.
The partnership will give these schools access to an enhanced cybersecurity curriculum and will create an immersive learning experience in partnership with IBM Security’s Command Center. This command center can simulate a realistic cyberattack, giving students the necessary training and experience to respond to attacks as part of a cybersecurity team.
IBM will also be working with the VA to provide training and credentials to transitioning service members. Through this partnership, IBM will equip military veterans with no-cost STEM job training, allowing them to pursue high-demand technology careers.
“We want veterans to have as many pathways to employment and career success as possible,” said Michael Frueh, VA’s Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits. “This is an urgent need and goes beyond hiring. This partnership will offer our veterans a unique opportunity to obtain skills and find job opportunities across companies and industries.”
Consistent with its efforts to tap into underrepresented communities, IBM also announced its partnership with the Specialisterne Foundation, an organization that helps people with autism and similar challenges to have equal opportunities in the labor market.
“We strongly believe that hiring diverse talent increases companies’ success,” said Steen Lohse, CEO and managing director of Specialisterne Foundation. “Neurodivergent people across the world will have access to free, online courses from IBM SkillsBuild on disruptive technologies such as AI, cybersecurity and cloud computing, enabling meaningful employment for neurodivergent learners.”
Through this partnership, IBM will provide training that caters to the learning needs of neurodivergent individuals across 13 countries, including Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Spain, UK and the U.S.
With companies like Microsoft and IBM urgently fighting against the shortage, it may only be a matter of time before the cybersecurity skills gap narrows even further.
