The cybersecurity sector has been battling a workforce shortage for years with cybersecurity training and certifications provider (ISC)2 estimating that the global skills gap currently sits at 3.4 million. There are over 600,000 current cyber-related job openings in the US alone, and the supply-to-demand ratio stands at 69%, the lowest it has been since 2010, according to Cyberseek.
Security leaders in organizations large and small often cite hiring and keeping security personnel as one of their biggest challenges, typically exacerbated by outdated, non-productive recruitment strategies. These have all too often put too much emphasis on years of experience or high-level, costly, and difficult-to-achieve security qualifications to demonstrate competency, even for cybersecurity roles deemed entry- or junior-level.