Closing the Security Skills Gap

Security tops the list of the technology skills that are most important to organizations today, according to a survey of more than 3500 technology professionals in North America, Europe and Asia. In the same survey, 73 percent of participating organizations also identi-fied firewalls and data privacy as the IT skills most critical to their organizations.




However, the same survey, along with new research commissioned by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), indicated that there is a widening gap in the technical security skills that employers want, and the corresponding skills that workers bring to the job.



This heightened interest in security is reflected in a 2007 CompTIA study, which found that the management of 78 percent of organi-zations considered information security a top priority. With so much at stake, it is incumbent on organizations to implement compre-hensive security training programs and making training a requirement for IT staff.



The benefits of such training are clear. Among organizations that have provided security training for IT staff, the 2007 CompTIA study found that an impressive 81 percent believed that security training improved security practices in their organizations.



In corporate IT, security training:



•increased awareness of security issues;



•improved the ability of IT staff to pro-actively identify potential security risks;



•enabled IT to respond more quickly to security issues.





Despite these findings, specialized training for IT staff is still the exception rather than the rule in many organizations. Less than half of all companies surveyed by CompTIA require IT security training, while about one-third have made security training a requirement for both new hires and existing IT employees. Overall, IT security training is mandatory to some degree for 47 percent of organizations.



Organizations with security training programs in place agree that security training has been beneficial, and that they have also realized financial savings. The average estimated average cost savings that organizations attribute to their IT security training programs is around $352,000 annually. These same organizations spend an average of $90,000 per year on security-related training, so the corre-sponding return on investment is rather compelling.



Among organizations that require security certifications, more than eight out of ten (84 percent) believe they improved their com-pany’s overall IT security. More than two-thirds believe that having IT staff with security-related certifications enables the or-ganization to pro-actively identify potential security risks—and a similar percentage of organizations also feels that security training also allows them to respond quickly to potential security risks. Organizations that lack a formal strategy for security-related training may be placing themselves at significant financial risk.



In addition to these benefits, the estimated cost savings associated with having IT staff with security certifications are even more com-pelling. Respondents estimate that the cost savings associated with having IT employees with security certifications is $656,000, which is 80 percent higher than the savings for organizations that have implemented only IT training initiatives. For the individual worker, attaining a recognized security certification or credential is a strong indicator to employers of you security expertise.



One such certification is CompTIA Security+, which validates foundation-level knowledge of communication security, infrastructure security, cryptography, operational security, and general security concepts. It is an international, vendor-neutral certification for security professionals with two years of hands-on experience in networking, with a focus on security. It is recognized by the technology commu-nity as a valuable credential that proves competency with information security.



As the information security market evolves and the types of threats expand, organizations must seek out the correct balance of technology and training solutions. The benefits of security-related training and certification for IT staff are real and compelling, and the cost savings are undeniable.

original article: http://bit.ly/cnUJXP


John Venator is the president and chief executive officer of the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), the leading trade association representing the business interests of the global information technology (IT) industry. He is responsible for leading strategy, development and growth efforts for the association and its 20,000-plus member organizations around the world.







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