* Findings from the third annual Global Information Security Workforce Study
Qualified security staff continue to be one of the most instrumental components for effectively securing your IT infrastructure, according to the results of the third annual Global Information Security Workforce Study.
Sponsored by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC2) and conducted by IDC, the study shows that organizations should focus more time and attention on policies, processes and people rather than over-relying on technology to solve security problems.
“Security management will always require the proper balance between people, policies, processes and technology to effectively mitigate the risks associated with today’s digitally connected business environment.”
In terms of staff, IDC forecasts the number of information security pros to be 1.5 million, an 8.1% increase over 2005. Broken down by continents, an estimated 640,705 of those workers are based in the Americas. IDC expects the overall information security workforce to grow to more than 2 million by 2010.
And personnel are consuming an increasingly larger chunk of security budgets. According to the results, organizations are spending more than 41% of their security budgets on personnel and staff training. This includes expenses to attract, hire and retain qualified security professionals.
Half of respondents anticipate maintaining the status quo over the next 12 months in terms of funding for IT security personnel. Another 44.9% expect to boost spending, while 5% forecast cuts. Spending on training is also likely to stay the same for 56.3%. Some 38.5% plan to spend more on security training, while 5.2% expect to reduce funding.
When IT execs do hire security pros, information security certifications is an important hiring criterion for 85% of hiring managers. Experience counts too. Worldwide, 48.5% of security respondents have five years to less than 10 years of experience. 20.8% have 10 to less than 15 years, and a seasoned 14% have 15 or more years. Another 16.7% have less than five years of experience.
You can download a copy of the report for free here (registration required).
