The future of the cybersecurity sector is unpredictable, however, professionals can upskill to meet the demands of the evolving industry.
Ireland’s cybersecurity sector is critical to the country’s financial ecosystem, with figures from Cyber Ireland’s Cyber Security Sector Snapshot 2024 report showing that it has contributed €1.2bn to the economy in the last 12 months. Ranked in the top 10 globally by security provider NordVPN, for its ‘cyber hygiene’, it is a vastly growing sector, with a reputation for resilience and growth, both domestically and internationally.
As it stands, there are roughly 7,911 people employed within Ireland’s cybersecurity sector, with plans in place to more than double this figure to 17,000 by 2030. But in order to meet sector employment demands, serious consideration needs to be given to the existing skills gap and the talent shortage that has plagued the industry for years.
According to Cyber Ireland, it is key that current education and training courses offer a broad, relevant and future-focused exploration of the cybersecurity sector, noting the importance of acknowledging deficits and cultivating educational experiences in line with sector and professional development.
To do well in this ever-changing industry, experts need to find a balance between technical and transversal skills, where they can apply themselves to almost any scenario, in a practical, intelligent manner.
For Akshit Sharma, a senior security engineer at technology company Integral Ad Science (IAS), while technical skills are crucial, soft skills are often crucial to ensure the longevity of a career.
“These non-technical skills enhance a team and company’s ability to not just respond to threats but anticipate and mitigate them in an ever-changing security environment,” he told SiliconRepublic.com.
“Ultimately, the best candidates combine both technical expertise and a proactive mindset to drive security initiatives forward and create lasting impact.”
This is echoed by Aanchal Mittal, an application security manager at IAS, who stated that because multifaceted security roles are in incredibly high-demand, applicants themselves have to be highly skilled in technical areas, for example in coding and cloud-based application security, along with adequate soft skills.
“While technical skills are foundational to cybersecurity roles, what I personally look for is the capacity to drive action combined with critical thinking and innovative problem-solving skills,” she said.
Cybersecurity challenges
The cybersecurity sector has faced and is always going to face significant challenges, particularly as it increases in complexity. The concept of computer hacking first appeared in the 1960s, the 1980s saw a rise in notable cyberattacks using malware and now in the 2020s, we are depending on some of the world’s most elite experts to create security protocols in anticipation of quantum–related cyber concerns.
All of this is a way of saying that the world of cybersecurity necessitates both a traditional foundation and adaptability in its workforce. For Sharma “the field is rapidly evolving, requiring continuous learning and adaptation to new technologies, tools, and threats,” which he stated can be overwhelming for those just starting out.
Mittal is cognisant of the need to root skills and expectations in tried and tested areas. “Cybersecurity roles demand prior IT or software development experience as it assures the basic knowledge of IT systems and the software development life cycle, along with coding capabilities,” she explained.
Where to start?
From coding and encryption to teamwork and familiarity with AI and machine learning models, there are dozens of skills – hard and soft – that budding cybersecurity professionals should consider working on to meet the current demand for industry experts.
Mittal believes proficiency in cloud architecture, infrastructure and cloud native applications is vital, as cloud environments are at the forefront of modern cybersecurity. She also stated that budding cybersecurity professionals should learn at least one coding language and “follow well-known cybersecurity industry experts or channels on LinkedIn and X to learn about the latest trends in cybersecurity”.
Similarly, Sharma would advise those aiming to embark upon a successful and long-lived cybersecurity career to “build a foundational knowledge of software architecture to better understand vulnerabilities and secure development practices”.
He noted that by contributing to open-source projects and engaging with practical hands-on exercises, such as CTFs – which are ‘capture the flag’ style skills assessments – professionals can gradually develop their talents.
Ultimately, the cybersecurity sector is a diverse, rapidly changing industry in need of talent new and old to continue growing in the right direction. Professionals with a wide range of skills, technical and transversal, have the potential to be front and present for the next wave of the industrial revolution.
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