New Delhi : A report by cybersecurity firm Fortinet has warned that India faces a critical skills shortage in cybersecurity that is contributing to the country's inability to fill critical IT positions. The global cybersecurity workforce gap is estimated to be around 3.14 million professionals, and India is no exception. This skills shortage has led to an increase in cyber risks such as breaches, with 92% of Indian organizations experiencing cyber breaches in 2022.

The '2023 Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report' highlights the urgent need for cybersecurity skills training, with 24% of Indian organizations experiencing five or more breaches. The report also reveals that over 80% of respondents find it challenging to hire certified professionals, which puts organizations at risk. Vishak Raman, Vice President of Sales, India, SAARC and Southeast Asia at Fortinet, stressed the importance of cybersecurity training and upskilling to strengthen security postures and stay ahead of the growing cyber threat landscape.

The shortage of cybersecurity professionals has led to many short-staffed cybersecurity teams struggling to keep up with thousands of daily threat alerts and manage disparate solutions to protect their organization's devices and data. As a result of unfilled IT positions due to the cyber skills shortage, 84% of organizations in India indicate they face additional cyber risks.

The report also found that almost half of the organizations surveyed in India suffered breaches in the past 12 months that cost more than $1 million to remediate, up from 38% compared to last year's report. Furthermore, 69% of Indian organizations expect the number of cyberattacks to increase over the next 12 months, further highlighting the need to fill crucial cyber positions to help strengthen organizations' security postures.