According to the annual research report from ISACA, 40 percent of respondents from India claimed that their cybersecurity teams lacked the necessary team members, with soft skills, cloud computing, and security controls emerging as the most severe international and national skills gap in the industry.

With input from 113 security leaders in India, the survey, titled ‘State of Cybersecurity 2023, Global Update on Workforce Efforts, Resources and Cyberoperations’, examines the most recent cybersecurity threat landscape, hiring problems and possibilities, and budgets.

According to the survey, which was sponsored by Adobe, 54 percent of respondents said they had opportunities for non-entry level employment, as opposed to 20 percent who had openings for entry-level jobs.

In India, 69 percent of the survey participants report having trouble keeping qualified cybersecurity specialists.

According to responders around the world, reimbursement for college tuition has decreased from 35 percent in 2022 to 28 percent, recruiting bonuses have decreased by two percent, and reimbursement for certification costs has decreased by one percent.

Below are the skills as reported by the respondents

• Cloud Computing: 46 percent

• Penetration Testing: 42 percent

• Forensics: 38 percent

• Identity and access management: 38 percent

• Data protection: 38 percent

The top five soft skills that international businesses in India are looking for in cybersecurity job candidates are critical thinking (59 percent), problem solving (51 percent), decision making (49 percent), communication (47 percent), and leadership abilities (33 percent).

“The soft skills gaps we see among cybersecurity professionals are part of a concerning systemic issue that our industry needs to take seriously,” says Jon Brandt, ISACA Director, Professional Practices and Innovation.

 

Regarding the cybersecurity threat landscape, nearly 55 percent of Indian respondents are reported to be experiencing more cyberattacks compared to a year ago. About 63 percent appear to be confident in their cybersecurity team’s ability to detect and respond to cyber threats.

Globally, attack concerns such as enterprise reputation (79 percent), data breach concerns (69 percent) and supply chain disruptions (55 percent) still persist.

Enterprises should take proactive steps to leverage available human resources to upskill and reskill staff so that combined with investments in technologies, an effective cybersecurity posture can be established and sustained,” said RV Raghu, ISACA Ambassador in India and past ISACA board director.

Looking ahead, about 92 percent of poll participants in India predict an increase in demand for technical cybersecurity individual contributors, while 67 percent predict an increase in demand for cybersecurity managers.