Intelligent CIO North America Issue 06 | Page 24

TRENDING and Machine Learning ( ML ) among cybersecurity professionals worldwide . The survey was fielded to more than 350 professionals in the United States ( US ), Singapore ( SG ), Germany ( DE ), Australia ( AUS ) and the United Kingdom ( UK ), and was collated by research company , Censuswide .
“ The concern for automation among younger professionals in cybersecurity was surprising to us . In trying to understand this sentiment , we could partially attribute it to lack of on-the-job training using automation technology ,” said Samantha Humphries , Security Strategist at Exabeam . “ As we noted earlier
Despite being among those that are generally threatened by automation software , 100 % of respondents aged 18 – 24 reported feeling secure in their roles and were happiest with their salaries ( 93 %).
in 2020 in our State of the SOC research , ambiguity around career path or lack of understanding about automation can have an impact on job security . It ’ s also possible that this is a symptom of the current economic climate or a general lack of experience navigating the workforce during a global recession .”
Of respondents under the age of 45 , 53 % agreed or strongly agreed that AI and ML are a threat to their job security . This is contrasted with just 25 % of respondents 45 and over who feel the same , possibly indicating that subsets of security professionals in particular prefer to write rules and manually investigate .
Interestingly , when asked directly about automation software , 89 % of respondents under 45 years old believed it would improve their jobs , yet 47 % are still threatened by its use . This is again in contrast with the 45-and-over demographic , where 80 % believed automation would simplify their work and only 22 % felt threatened by its use .
Examining the sentiments around automation by region , 47 % of US respondents were concerned about job security when automation software is in use , as well as SG ( 54 %), DE ( 42 %), AUS ( 40 %) and UK ( 33 %).
In Exabeam ’ s 2019 survey , which drew insights from professionals throughout the US , UK , Australia , Canada , India and the Netherlands , only 10 % overall believed that AI and automation were a threat to their jobs . On the flip side , there were noticeable increases in job approval across the board , with an upward trend in satisfaction around role and responsibilities ( 96 %), salary ( 87 %) and work / life balance ( 77 %).
When asked what else they enjoyed about their jobs , respondents listed working in an environment with professional growth ( 15 %) as well as opportunities to challenge oneself ( 21 %) as top motivators . Just over half ( 53 %) reported jobs that are either stressful or very stressful , which is down from last year ( 62 %). Interestingly , despite being among those that are generally threatened by automation software , 100 % of respondents aged 18 – 24 reported feeling secure in their roles and were happiest with their salaries ( 93 %).
Though the number of female respondents increased in 2020 , it remains to be seen whether this will emerge as a trend .
Samantha Humphries , Senior Security Strategist at Exabeam , discusses the future of the cybersecurity landscape in more detail and what it might look like in 2021 .
How would you describe the current state of cybersecurity and how do you predict this will differ over the next five years ?
On the list of things that are worrying me right now is hearing about organizations making cuts to their cybersecurity teams because of COVID . Granted , it ’ s been a really tough time financially for most organizations , and frankly I ’ m biased , but for me this should be the last area to make cuts . Unfortunately , cybersecurity is still often seen as a cost center , which is a problem . Cybersecurity is an enabler for the business , an enabler for the employees , and by extension an enabler for the customers . However , if there isn ’ t the support from the executives in the business , the idea of it being a cost center will be hard to detach . One of the hardest things to get across is the value that cybersecurity brings to the organization . Some C-suites really get it , others don ’ t . Unfortunately , by the time they realize the importance , it ’ s too late . I ’ ve seen too many times that once the dust has settled after an incident , the security team is actually glad it ’ s happened because they now have the proof of their value to business operations . That ’ s a sad state of affairs .
Compared to five years ago , I definitely see cybersecurity being more on the board agenda now which is great . I think and hope that in the next five years , it will be on every board ' s agenda – because it will need to be . We are seeing more cyberattacks than ever before , with more breadth of organizations being hit . This will help to improve the state of cybersecurity ,
24 INTELLIGENTCIO NORTH AMERICA www . intelligentcio . com