40% of SA firms struggle to hire cybersecurity talent
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA — Around 40% of companies in South Africa (SA) are struggling to hire and retain cybersecurity talent, according to cybersecurity firm Fortinet.
In its 2023 Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap report, Fortinet said many short-staffed cybersecurity teams are burdened and strained as they try to keep up with thousands of daily threat alerts and manage disparate solutions to protect their organization’s devices and data properly.
Sixty-four percent of companies also agreed that the shortage of cyber security skills creates additional cyber risks for organizations.
Paul Williams, Fortinet Country Manager – SADC and Indian Ocean Islands, said that the cybersecurity workforce gap jeopardizes the most foundational functions of the profession — such as risk assessment, oversight, and critical systems patching.
Williams added that one way to reduce the gap is to establish more authorized training centers and academic partner programs in high schools, colleges, and universities.
Organizations are also looking to tap into new talent pools, with 8 out of 10 respondents having diversity goals as part of their hiring practices.
Fortinet EVP of products and CMO John Maddison added, “The cyber security talent shortage is one of the top challenges putting organizations at risk… In today’s climate, organizations must choose products that introduce automation to offload overworked teams while continuing to focus on upskilling and cyber security training.”
