A common topic across the cybersecurity industry, even during the pandemic that’s impacting every corner of the economy, is that there is STILL a substantial shortage of talent in the labor pool.
53% of organizations report that they suffer from a shortage of talent and skill. This has been discussed as an industry topic for a few years now. However, one part of this skill shortage that should be recognized is that women are underserved in the cybersecurity market.
Women make up between 20 - 24% of the overall workforce in cyber, which has historically been male-dominated. (There are multiple studies, but the ISC2 study seems like it has more data than anyone else.)
Women should have a better opportunity to compete for jobs and progress within their organizations, and we can all play a role in helping move the dial to better support this. In fact, in discussing the shortage of skill, women are better educated.
At this time last year, a Pew study found that 29.5 million women in the labor force had at minimum a bachelor's degree, compared to 29.3 million men. What this indicates is that the foundation of improving the opportunities in cybersecurity for women begins with training and education.
RiskRecon is proud to offer two scholarships to two women for Ringzer0 infosecurity trainings to further their professional development and gain skills to progress further in their cybersecurity careers. Simply fill out the form on this page to apply. Courses will be held next month and the deadline to apply is 8:00 pm EST on July 23.
Cyber professionals globally rely on Ringzer0 so employees continue skill development, and gain domain expertise across topical focus areas ranging from malware analysis to reverse engineering. However, Ringzer0 courses are also ideal for college students or even professionals who are pivoting a career toward cybersecurity.
RiskRecon is supportive not just of training and education - the company encourages this progress with organized working groups and initiatives to drive progress and change externally also.
“Its important for women to continually push the limits of what they can achieve in cybersecurity, and beyond,” said Mikela McGettigan, Director, Specialist Sales, RiskRecon. “We discuss these themes as part of our regular talks and activities. Education and training is an essential part of building highly qualified skills that set women up well for career success.”
Training and leadership are not separate when considering how to tackle the challenges women face in the cyber market. One stat suggests there’s been a slight trend upward over the past few years – indicated by research showing that 20% Fortune 500 CISO’s last year were female.
“Women are leaders, whether its training and professional development for themselves, or supporting other women in their educational journey,” said Samantha Murphy, vice president, customer success, RiskRecon. “The more skill you can acquire, the more dynamic you become. Building that foundational base will only help as we narrow the gap and see more progress.”
Organizations, influencers and individuals should be looking at the challenges women face in the cybersecurity market to level the playing field.
Training, education and professional development will lead to the improvement of the skills that are critical to foster. With predictions that 3.5 million cybersecurity jobs will go unfilled next year, there is no better time than now to participate.
