I learned a great deal during the Indiana Chamber’s recent 2021 Cybersecurity Conference, but the most staggering statistic: There are approximately 3.5 million cybersecurity jobs unfilled globally. A quick Google search confirms:
According to Cybersecurity Ventures, there will be 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs globally by 2021, up from 1 million positions in 2014. The United States has a total cybersecurity workforce of 715,000 employees with 314,000 unfilled positions, according to CyberSeek.
I am reminded of the Tech Talk I authored a few weeks ago in which I reported the results of the 2021 Report Card; specifically, Indiana ranks 13th nationally in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) degrees conferred but only 12.2% of Hoosier adults possess a STEM bachelor’s degree and 3.8% have a STEM-related occupation, ranking Indiana 42nd and 35th, respectively.
It is incumbent upon us, however, to educate our young people that they do not necessarily need a college degree to make a comfortable living doing cybersecurity work. Currently on Indeed (just one of many job search sites), there are more than 200 cybersecurity positions available in Indiana – many paying well over $20 an hour and requiring only a high school equivalent and an industry-recognized certification.
A little more than a month ago, Herff Jones was the victim of a cyberattack that resulted in financial information being stolen. Now, Herff Jones is facing three lawsuits from college students and their parents who say they were hit with fraudulent credit- and debit-card charges after using those cards to order caps, gowns and other graduation gear from the company’s web site. This is on top of company costs to notify victims, remediate vulnerabilities and potentially pay state regulators.
It was scary to hear how many cyberattacks are occurring, how clever these criminals are at conceiving new ways to hack and how adept they are in masking themselves from law enforcement. Indiana must do more to produce the next generation of IT professionals that will keep us, our businesses and our children safe from those who make a living on the dark web.
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The 2021 Cybersecurity Conference noted above is now available as an on-demand resource. It features more than 10 educational sessions focused on key technology information, products, strategies, protections and so much more to help ensure your organization is operating safely. All recordings will be available for up to six months for you to view at your own pace.
Protect your business today.
