Recently, major tech companies left a meeting with President Joe Biden pledging to spend billions on cybersecurity defenses. Google, for instance, pledged to invest more than $10 billion on cybersecurity programs over the next five years, while IBM said it would train more than 150,000 people in proper security measures. Computing giant Microsoft said it would commit to $20 billion in more sophisticated cybersecurity tools, CNBC reports.
The focus on cybersecurity initiatives during these White House discussions were important given the rise of major hacks of companies such as Colonial Pipeline and SolarWinds. At the same time, smaller-scale cybercriminal activities have been on the rise, especially during the past year of social and economic disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an era when shoring up defenses around our sensitive personal and corporate data is paramount, it is understandable why these major companies will put cybersecurity at the forefront.
That might not be enough. Detailed in a recent CNBC piece by Eric Rosenbaum, one vulnerability in these lauded initiatives has been the fact that all of the increased spending on cyber protections hasn’t resulted in a drop in hacks. One big issue centers on the shortage of workers who are trained in cybersecurity. Essentially, there aren’t enough trained professionals to utilize these new tools to push back on cybercrime.
“It’s a big problem,” Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of information security think tank Ponemon Institute, said in the article. “We see lots of organizations making investments in technology that never get deployed.”
Another expert, David Kennedy, founder and CEO of Trusted Sec, told the financial news network “these companies will buy products, but not include direct staff to support it or else they can’t get the internal funding approval to support it.”
“So, the cybersecurity investments are only half installed or not at all and just languish,” he added.
One big solution to this issue is directing more resources to recruitment and training initiatives to usher in a new generation of cybersecurity professionals. Major companies like Google have put significant energy into training new staffers. Beyond this, universities and colleges nationwide have been answering the call, increasing degree programs specifically in cybersecurity.
In his article, Rosenbaum also points to the threat of artificial intelligence (AI), which will only continue to be leveraged by hackers.
In an incredibly complex world of modern cybersecurity and data protection, both companies as large as Apple and small businesses alike will need to respond on multiple fronts. They’ll have to increase funding for cyber defense programs, hire and train more people to use them, and meet the challenges of more sophisticated AI and new tactics for carrying out cybercrime.