According to Cisco, there are more than 1 million vacant cybersecurity positions around the globe. A recent report published by ISACA states that many cybersecurity positions remain open for six months or more before they’re filled (if they’re ever filled i.e.).

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Sophisticated cybercrimes, phishing, ransomware and SQL injection attack mainly target big fishes of the corporate sea like big enterprises, government organizations. However, small businesses aren’t out of the oeuvre of these cyberattacks. What adds to the problem is their extremely limited – or almost non-existent – resources to tackle security threats.

Cyber security studies need funding for research and dedicated experts who can keep themselves abreast of the dynamic cybercrime space. This can be a bit of a problem for small business owners considering their limited resources coupled with the demand-availability imbalance of security experts.

The solution lies in bridging the gap between knowledge and available skilled IT professionals. To battle the persisting issue, organizations need to upscale their existing resources and optimize their potential to fight against cybercrimes and reinforce data and information security.

Here are some of the ways in which small business enterprises can build potential in their IT professionals:

1.      Encourage people to get new certifications to stay up to date:

The only constant in Information Technology is ‘change’. Therefore, it is important that businesses encourage their employees to be aware of the latest trends in cybercrime and basic security measures that need to be implemented. So, to start with, managers need to gauge the competency of the team members and according to requirements, introduce programs and training to improve employee knowledge. This can include seminars, presentations, certifications and knowledge of new products among other things.

At present, very few organizations provide training programs and courses to enhance the skills of their IT personnel.

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2.      Let the employees explore

The ISACA report claimed that 65 percent of entry-level applicants for cybersecurity positions don’t have the expertise necessary to thrive in the position.

The employees who are inquisitive and wants to explore the areas of cybersecurity, let them follow some experienced personnel in the team as it would help them to groom and to have the opportunities of development.

All the big fishes in the industrial pond, allow the employees interested in the security and technology to dive into and learn the rest on the job to become an expert. Small businesses could take a cue from them.

3.      Allow the experts to take over

If you have an IT professional with cybersecurity background, let him/her train other team members to match his/her level of competency. Businesses can make this mandate to draw more attention and enthusiasm from even the most average worker.

You can also take help of these IT professionals for hiring as they would be able to gauge the potential and recruit the best in the market according to the company’s requirement.

Cybersecurity is a major concern for every company and recruiting expert IT professional is essential. The majority of companies would vouch for the need of a fully equipped the IT team.

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Not all the companies can afford to provide the packages demanded so the best way is to train your in-house professionals to become the expert in the field. This will not only meet the need to get an expert on cyber security on board but also decrease the attrition rates by keeping employees motivated. If a person is provided with an opportunity to explore and grow both monetarily and improve his skill sets simultaneously, it can prove to be a profitable model for small businesses in the long run.