Microsoft launches cybersecurity skills campaign in India, 22 countries

`To close the talent gap; to address the shortage of 3.5 million safety professionals worldwide by 2025′

Bengaluru
Microsoft has launched a cybersecurity skills development campaign in 23 regions, including India, to address the alarming shortage of cybersecurity professionals. By 2025, 3.5 million cybersecurity jobs will be available worldwide, which represents a 350% increase over eight years, according to Cybersecurity Ventures, a researcher tracking the global cyber economy. At this time, there are an estimated nearly 3.5 million cybersecurity jobs waiting to be filled in India alone, both in the private and public sectors. According to Kate Behncken, vice president and head of Microsoft Philanthropies, cybersecurity continues to pose a significant threat to governments, businesses and individuals around the world. From supply chain disruptions to ransomware attacks, cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated and the threat landscape is becoming more diverse. “These cybersecurity challenges are being exacerbated by a labor shortage; There just aren’t enough people with the cybersecurity skills to fill vacancies,” she added. Microsoft previously launched this campaign in the United States and has now expanded to India, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania , South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom “These countries have increased cyber threat risk coupled with a significant gap in their cybersecurity forces, both in terms of the number of professionals employed in cybersecurity versus demand and a lack of diversity ‘ Ms. Behncken said in a company blog. In another comment on gender diversity in cybersecurity, she said that the global cybersecurity workforce is woefully lacking in diversity. For example, in these countries, on average, only 17% of the cybersecurity workforce is female. “Excluding women from the cybersecurity workforce leaves talent on the table and will only hamper our ability to close the skills gap. And this is not just about equality, there is also a business benefit here as companies do better with gender diversity,” warned Ms. Behncken. According to her, Microsoft is also unveiling a new partnership with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to develop a detailed study of the skills gap in these countries and also improve the ability to grow cybersecurity forces through post-secondary education and training.