Most organizations don't have an IT security expert
With cyber attacks on the rise, organizations are facing pressure to beef up their security to avoid falling victim to such an attack. However, a recent IT security report from Spiceworks shows that 80 percent of organizations were affected by at least one security incident during 2015.
To compile its report, the company surveyed over 600 IT professionals from the US and UK. Shockingly, Spiceworks discovered that few organizations have either an in-house or third-party cyber security expert on call.
According to the survey only 29 percent of organizations have such an expert working in their IT department and 23 percent contract outside experts to handle security situations. However, 55 percent of the organizations surveyed said that they do not have regular access to in-house or third-party IT security experts.
Spiceworks also found that the number of IT professionals with security certifications is quite low. The company polled over 1,000 IT pros in regard to their cyber security credentials and 67 percent admitted to not having any security certification at all. Seventeen percent however do have the basic CompTIA Security+ certificate which many believe is essential for job interviews and is not paid for by their organization.
The report made it clear that cyber security is a business priority and should be for modern businesses. However, according to the IT pros surveyed, 73 percent say it is a priority for the CIO and senior IT leaders and over half say that it is up to the CTO and CEO to prioritize security.
Despite the rise of cyber attacks, few organizations see investing in IT training as something worthwhile; only 18 percent of employers are very open to pursue and encourage their employees to receive more training.
If organizations expect to flourish in today’s world, then closing the cyber security skills gap is a must and more importance needs to be placed on IT security training and more funds need to be allocated for it as well.
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