Despite occasional arguments that the U.S. IT talent gap is a myth , plenty of evidence (see my last post) points to what appears, in fact, to be a rather significant IT talent gap that’s particularly wide in cybersecurity , cloud computing , big data, analytics, and information management .
If you have a sense that your clients’ struggles with the IT talent gap have intensified lately, you’re on to something. Among North American IT decision-makers, 75% say they face a skills shortage, and few expect it to ease over the next two years.
How the IT talent gap hurts
Not all IT talent gaps are created equal. Cybersecurity and cloud computing skills are most in-demand and there’s little relief in sight. By 2022, the cybersecurity workforce gap will stand at 1.8 million. Lack of IT talent also plagues cloud computing, big data, analytics, and information management.
For a while now, organizations large and small have struggled to find and retain the IT skillsets they need. Two years have passed since Gartner noted , “Talent has now been recognized globally as the single biggest issue standing in the way of CIOs achieving their objectives.”
If your experience suggests the IT talent gap has intensified since 2016, you’re not alone. Among North American IT decision-makers, 75% say they face a skills shortage , and few expect it to ease over the next two years.
When it comes to risk management, best practices begin with best strategies:
1 Take the time to realistically assess your enterprise’s vulnerabilities
In one recent survey , increased reliance on technology itself and increasing business complexity ranked second and fourth as drivers of increased risk.
If (when?) your clients express skepticism about the risks their business faces, you might try offering up these numbers:
Cyberattacks that target businesses nearly doubled between 2016 and 2017 , driven by an enormous spike in ransomware, including ransom denial-of-service (RDoS) attacks. Result: overall, the cost of a cyberattack has increased more than 27% from 2016 to 2017.
2017 was the most expensive year on record for natural disasters, due in significant part to extreme weather events across the U.S. that caused a total of $306 billion in damage. Last year saw 16 separate billion-dollar events, including three tropical cyclones, eight severe storms, two inland floods, a crop freeze, drought, and wildfire.
Businesses have always faced risks. In the 1920s, shopkeepers in small Midwestern towns were issued surplus World War I rifles so they could run into the street and shoot skedaddling bank robbers.
But risks evolve, as do the ways any given risk may impact your business.
