Cyber security skills gap needs addressing, says Fujitsu VP

The worldwide cyber security skills gap currently stands at almost 3 million, according to a recent study by the non-profit International Information System Security Certification Consortium ((ISC)²).

This figure is much higher than the number provided by the organisation to represent predicted industry shortfall by 2022, 1.8 million, which was estimated using a different gap analysis methodology that subtracted supply from demand.

The updated strategy used by (ISC)² also took company growth and job availability into account, among other factors.

Fujitsu’s cyber security chief has called on organisations across the UK to take responsibility for equipping future generations with cyber security skills in order to close the skills gap.

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“It is evident that there is currently a shortage of talent in the cyber security industry, which we are struggling to circumvent,” Norris explained. “All organisations – private and public – are pivotal in closing the cyber security skills gap, ensuring our children are fully equipped for facing future inevitabilities.

“With our latest report revealing that a fifth of the UK public believe cyber crime and hacking are the biggest challenges facing the UK today, this report gives us more of an incentive to ensure we do more to identify and nurture the cyber experts of the future.”

Fujitsu have recently announced the launch of their University Technology College Cyber Security Group, an institution that Norris hopes will “ensure that we, and other private organisations, are doing our best to develop the right cyber skills to adequately protect the UK from future cyber threats and attacks.”

The development of cyber security skills is bound to be vital for future generations to overcome the many challenges that cyber security brings.

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Aaron Hurst

Aaron Hurst is Information Age's senior reporter, providing news and features around the hottest trends across the tech industry.