FEATURE : TRAINING
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Ned Baltagi , Managing Director , Middle East and Africa at SANS , says training can be the most efficient and thorough way to rapidly ramp up technical skills .
Business is non dominated by the Digital Transformation ; therefore , the more technically sound IT staff are , the more value they can bring to their organisation .
This is true of both in-house IT teams that are entrusted with managing and optimising IT investments while fostering innovation , and of technical teams in channel organisations that must demonstrate high levels of technical expertise to differentiate themselves from the pack in a highly competitive market .
Globally , there is a growing requirement for qualified IT professionals and this is nowhere more acute than in the domain of cybersecurity . Predictions vary but all agree there is and will continue to be a significant gap .
Symantec , for example , has predicted that by 2019 , there will be 1.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs worldwide and a 2016 study by Enterprise Strategy Group ( ESG ) and Information Systems Security Association ( ISSA ) found that 69 % of organisations had already been impacted by the global cybersecurity skills shortage . With this acute shortage of skills a major issue in the Middle East and Africa ( MEA ), organisations must take proactive steps to secure their digital future .
Why training matters
While the merits of on-the-job experience cannot be overstated , training can be the most efficient and thorough way to rapidly ramp up technical skills – provided of course that it is done right . This is particularly true when an organisation is looking to utilise new technologies that require deep domainspecific knowledge . And it is particularly true when it comes to cybersecurity .
By undergoing training , not only do employees become more efficient and have a better understanding of the technologies they work with – critical when defending against cyber criminals – but they can also become more knowledgeable in front of customers , troubleshoot better and so on .
Vendor training
Technology vendors , such as Microsoft , Cisco and SAP , offer training and certifications specific to their solutions that are aimed at helping IT professionals install and maintain the products correctly . Typical IT infrastructures however are hybrid in nature with integrated architectures consisting of best-in-class products from a variety of vendors .
Product specific knowledge therefore only goes so far whereas domain specific knowledge has far greater practical advantage . For long-term success , organisations are better placed opting for vendor-neutral training courses that focus on principles , knowledge and capabilities .
Give your business the technical edge to beat the cybersecurity skills gap
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