siliconindia | | April 20179With this, the security operations team has more dashboards to view, dials to turn, and alerts & reports to examine. · Self-inflicted Wounds ­ No one is perfect, and perfection cannot be expected in an IT world of perpet-ual change. Configuration errors and oversights have, and will con-tinue to occur. Similarly, end users will have lapses in judgement (e.g., clicking on an untrusted link). This means re-do and recovery will con-tinue to be a routine part of security professionals' activities.In the face of the cyber security manpower shortage, the industry has made some stop-gap efforts to deal with the issue. Various organizations are developing machine learning and automation technologies that try to substitute human beings in analytical work. There are also attempts to create artificial intelligence to discover and respond to security threats.In addition, I expect the industry to continue focusing development ef-forts on technologies that can let busi-nesses deploy security with minimal manpower. Such technologies include cloud-based security platforms that can help resource-lean SMBs manage or increase visibility, as well as secu-rity solutions that can be managed re-motely by mobile devices.Commendable as these efforts are, they are no replacement for the flesh and blood of real IT personnel. Intel-ligent cybersecurity technologies can only take the place of human decision making as an initial filter (take a look at what trading algorithms have done to the modern stock market) at the end of the day, both artificial intelli-gence and human operators need to work together. Without the human element, larger and larger swaths of the world will suffer from poorly im-plemented cyber security securi-ty tasks will be sub-optimally done, leading to greater vulnerabilities in cyber defences and inefficiently run security departments.On the security technology pro-vider front, we can expect to see more consolidation in the near term. A dearth of security practitioners will make it hard for small vendors to both develop their technology and expand headcount, putting pres-sure on them to merge with larger solution providers.To successfully groom cyber se-curity talent, all stakeholders in the industry must come together ­ not just technology providers, but gov-ernments, regulators, educational institutions, services providers and end-users. There must be more con-certed setting of the security educa-tion agenda, curriculum development and knowledge transfer, funding and internship programs. Fortinet has tak-en a lead in some of these areas, and would encourage other industry stake-holders to do the same. For young aspiring cyber security professionals, it will be immensely helpful if you could reach out to the industry to signal your interest. And if you aren't sure if you will make a good cyber sleuth, just ask yourself a few questions ­ Did you grow up reading Agatha Christie? Do you have a natural inclination for investigation and discovery? Do you love connect-ing dots and reading minds? Is good triumphing over evil important to you? Do you enjoy using technology to solve everyday issues and improve lives? ­ If you have answered yes to all these, the industry needs you. Michael Xie
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