Shortage of Qualified Critical Incident Response Professionals Continues to Plague Organizations

In Wipro’s 2023 State of Cybersecurity Report (SOCR), 79% of organizations surveyed responded that ransomware is a top threat to their operations. Data leaks can disrupt systems and business operations for days, sometimes weeks. In addition to locking down systems through encryption, hackers are now using malicious extortion tactics against senior executives, threatening to release stolen data on the dark web.

All this can negatively impact brand reputation and erode trust among customers and clients. To adequately address these threats, enterprises need skilled cybersecurity professionals securing the digital frontier.

But data suggests that in-house cybersecurity teams are not enough on their own. Teams may not be large enough for round-the-clock monitoring, and new cyber threats require increasingly specialized skillsets to mitigate.

A critical incident response team (CIRT) is a dedicated group of cybersecurity professionals who work around the clock to respond to threats, protect data and strengthen an organization’s cyber resilience. Filling this critical incident response skills shortage is reportedly one of the highest priorities for CISOs across industries, especially in those that cannot afford downtime such as healthcare, government agencies, manufacturing and financial institutions.

This infographic from 451 Research breaks down the cyber workforce capacity issue and offers insights for how to secure your digital frontier.