July 2, 2024 at 02:43PM
Large organizations, especially those with more than $1 billion in revenue, increased their cyber workforce, with an average of one cyber professional per 1,086 employees in 2024. Financial companies lead the pack with one cyber expert per 267 employees, while industrial groups lag behind at one per 1,390. Cyber readiness reached 53%, with progress seen in cloud and data security programs. However, challenges remain in third-party and industrial system security.
Based on the meeting notes, the key takeaways are as follows:
1. Larger organizations, particularly those with over $1 billion in revenue, have strengthened their cyber workforce. The ratio of cyber professionals to employees has improved, with an average of one cyber expert per 1,086 employees in 2024, compared to one per 1,285 employees in 2023. Financial businesses lead in cultivating a strong cyber workforce, with an average of one cyber expert per 267 employees, while industrial groups lag behind, with an average of one cyber expert per 1,390 employees.
2. The overall cyber readiness level of surveyed organizations has reached 53%, with some reaching high levels of 80% to 90% cyber-maturity. Budgets have stabilized at an average of 6.6% of IT budgets across all sectors. Progress has been made in cloud security and data security programs, with noticeable increases in maturity development compared to 2023.
3. Despite overall progress, companies continue to face challenges in certain areas, such as third-party security and industrial system security (ICS). The average maturity levels for these areas are 48.9% and 39.9%, respectively.
These key points provide a comprehensive overview of the state of cyber readiness and workforce development within surveyed organizations.