The working world is facing a severe resourcing crisis, with many industries finding their usual recruitment wells are running dry. This is particularly the case in the IT industry, with cybersecurity businesses facing a critical shortage of cyber professionals. Bridging this gap is no easy task. While the UK is seeing an increase in talent entering the industry, with recent research showing the number of cyber security graduates has increased by 34%, across the economy, almost 50% of businesses have skills gaps in basic technical areas. Worryingly, when it comes to incident management, this figure has almost doubled over the last 4 years.
This shortage of security professionals means opportunities are rife for cybercriminals to take advantage of the reduced workforce and gain the upper hand. The dangers are then compounded as they exploit AI tools to perform more complex attacks on a prolific scale. If these risks are not addressed, breaches will inevitably increase. It is therefore vital that businesses reevaluate their approach to cybersecurity and look for additional support to back up their remaining security professionals.
Automation in security is essential when it comes to ensuring faster and more scalable security operations. With intelligent automation, businesses will be able to free up security teams from menial and repetitive tasks, leaving them with more time and energy to tackle incoming threats and security breaches. This is where automated Threat Intelligence Platforms (TIPs) come in – aiding teams in identifying, assessing and responding to security threats. Essentially streamlining threat data through to threat actioning.
An automated TIP can analyse and sort data from across the business and identify potential weaknesses in the security posture. From there, the platform can correlate the information with external intelligence and suggest, or even enact, relevant responses based on a predefined set of instructions. The platform is able to provide a unified approach to defence across cloud based, hybrid and on-prem environments. This capability equips businesses with all the relevant information for them to act with well informed confidence, while also removing the need for data silos – improving risk visibility and reducing action times.
At their heart, modern TIPs are designed with usability in mind. With built-in low-code functionality, they are simpler for less technical users to operate, create workflows and automate tasks. This in turn supports businesses in bridging the skills gap – empowering a less experienced workforce and increasing business resilience in a time when hiring high-skilled workers is proving difficult.
The deployment of automated TIPs doesn’t only support individual security professionals with their productivity, they also provide assistance to collaborative efforts across the business. Empowering individuals with the capability to collaborate effectively with their teams increases efficiency and transfers key skills and expertise throughout the company. Through this collaboration and shared knowledge, businesses will be able to greatly improve their cybersecurity defences.
The collective defence approach can prove even more effective when businesses implement automated TIPs to share information concerning emerging threats with their peers via industry associations such as Information Sharing and Analysis Centres (ISACs) and Information Sharing and Analysis Organisations (ISAOs). Sharing critical information within a safe and controlled environment enables security professionals to access vital intelligence about potential threats, vulnerabilities and unfolding attacks. On top of this, insights on the defence methods employed and which practices proved effective can be imparted, supporting businesses in their defensive preparations.. Through collaboration with external teams, organisations gain the upper hand over attacks, providing them with comprehensive expertise and increasing their overall security resilience.
When combined with automation, this collaborative approach enables organisations to counter some of the issues created by resourcing limitations by speeding up processes while reducing manual errors. This capability enables stretched security teams to focus on high priority tasks and allocating resources to the areas that need the most attention.
Allocating resources effectively will reduce staff fatigue and improve employee morale. Retaining valuable cybersecurity expertise is vital to organisations during the current skills drought, so keeping employees happy and providing them with the right tools to support their work is more important than ever.
Artificial intelligence is key to enhancing the success of any effective automation process. The technology simplifies routine processes, enhancing efficiency and allowing human experts to focus on more important security concerns. Given the dwindling skills supply currently facing security teams, it is essential that organisations utilise their security professionals effectively. With the deployment of AI-driven threat intelligence, it becomes possible to proactively identify emerging cyber risks, companies can maximise their cybersecurity capabilities and optimise their workforce without compromising security resilience.
AI can support teams through the automation of system responses to mitigate attacks without manual intervention. It can also provide predictive analytics to anticipate vulnerabilities before exploitation, and AI-driven security chatbots for handling routine security queries and support requests.
By embracing automation, intelligence-driven AI-powered workflows, and collective defence strategies, organisations can optimise their security operations and build a more resilient defence against evolving cyber threats. This use of automated AI will help businesses address the skills gap and bolster their cybersecurity posture without over-relying on hard-to-find experts.
Faced with an increasingly widening skills gap, organisations must fully utilise automation and AI to support, empower and train their new and current security professionals, enhancing threat detection and response capabilities while also removing the burdens from an already over-strained workforce.