One of the ISACA surveys which is released in the RSA week illustrates the state of cybersecurity workforce development and also its current trends. The results came out as no surprise to anyone in the industry: recruiting security talent is hard.
The ISACA survey makes two interesting statements: firstly, that 70% of the enterprises “require atleast a security certification for open cyber security positions”. And secondly is that for 55% of the enterprises, “practical and hands-on experience is most important qualification for a cyber security candidate.” Since a candidate cannot get any experience without getting a position, new candidates for open cyber security jobs need more help with other ‘qualifications’.
CompTIA has announced a new security qualification: named CSA+. It sits in between Security+, and CASP.
The CSA+ focuses on skills which are required for the use of threat detection tools, interpretation of results and data analysis to identify vulnerabilities, threats and risks. It certifies a proficiency in data-driven security.
“By placing a greater emphasis on data analytics, we can get a real-time, holistic view of the behaviour of the network, its users and the devices to identify the potential vulnerabilities and then strengthen them before an actual intrusion happens,” explained CompTIA’s senior director for products, James Stanger.
This is perhaps the most critical area of the overall cyber security skills gap, and one that is growing faster than most. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states, “Employment of information security analysts is projected to grow 18 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. Demand for information security analysts is expected to be very high, as these analysts will be needed to create innovative solutions to prevent hackers from stealing critical information or causing problems for computer networks.”
“Data analytics is the key,” says Jim Lucari, the senior manager of certification at the HP Enterprise. “Everybody in the technology should have this CSA+.