Cybrary's Answer To The Cybersecurity Talent Gap

There will be as many as 3.5 million open cybersecurity positions globally by 2021, according to estimates from market research firm Cybersecurity Ventures. The problem is finding qualified candidates to fill those roles.

Maryland-based Cybrary is on a mission to change that, offering free online courses to get candidates up to speed on the latest technologies.

’There were a lot of people in the workplace today who knew what they were doing when they got their jobs but because their employers aren’t investing in training they are losing their edge on the hackers,’ said Kathie Miley, chief operating officer of Cybrary.

Cybrary’s recent survey underscores that message, finding that four out of five organizations don’t feel prepared for a state-level cyberattack yet just 15 percent of employers surveyed pay for security training expenses. Cybrary’s training is a perfect fit for workers, according to Miley, because the training can be done anywhere and anytime.

’One of the things we offer to help people stay committed and do their best at approaching these job opportunities is we offer mentors,’ said Miley.

Cybrary has focused its training on a handful of career paths that it says are most shorthanded at the moment. Those include: penetration tester, network engineer, a cybersecurity engineer and a security operations analyst.