Soft skills: an ongoing challenge for the cybersecurity sector

New research in the field of cybersecurity highlights gaps in cybersecurity professionals, focusing attention on interpersonal skills, cloud computing and security measures as the biggest skill gaps for cybersecurity specialists, according to a new report from the ISACA.

Difficulty in managing personnel specialized in IT security

59% of cybersecurity leaders say they have a staffing shortage on their team. 50% of respondents indicated there were open positions for advanced roles, compared to 21% who had open positions for entry-level roles.

Challenges in retaining cybersecurity talent continue

While progress has been made in improving employee retention rates, it will continue to be a difficult undertaking. Fifty-six percent of cybersecurity leaders say they have difficulty retaining qualified cybersecurity professionals, although this percentage is down four points from last year.

The skills most requested by companies in the field of IT security

When hiring, employers say they are looking for the following top five technical skills in cybersecurity professionals: identity and access management (49%), cloud computing (48%), data protection (44%), incident response (44%) and DevSecOps (36%).