The cybersecurity sector has evolved and grown at an extraordinary rate since the turn of the century. In modern business environments there is a heavier reliance on the cloud. This is combined with complex access management protocols. An ever-growing number of potentially insecure endpoints. Rigorous compliance requirements… And with a more agile and technologically-enabled threat landscape, cybersecurity has become a lynchpin of business reliance and enablement.
Along with the advanced business needs, it has become a significantly underserved specialism. In the year to June 2025, CyberSeek estimated that employers had posted 514,000 cybersecurity vacancies. This represented a 12% increase year-on-year, and compounded the shortfall in available professionals. CyberSeek estimated only 74% of demand can be met with available talent, highlighting both a significant and expanding gulf in supply.
Taking the Path Less-Travelled to Cybersecurity
According to Eric Miller, Senior Manager of Information Security at infrastructural support specialist Wade Trim, a major contributing factor to the talent shortage is the academia-based route into the industry and the gap between learned and applied knowledge.
“I’ve been to conference after conference wherein I’ve heard, ‘There is a shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals’,” says Miller. “However, the shortfall is not in the number of entry-level educated cyber professionals. It’s the shortage of qualified cross-departmental trained professionals. The best cyber professionals are those who have worked as IT professionals. They have put in their time on the help desk or built their share of networks.
“These professionals are where the true shortage exists. However, we continue to educate these young men and women and throw them to the wolves expecting them to understand it all. It’s no surprise when an entry-level analyst cannot determine why two devices can’t communicate.”
A Unique Perspective on the Challenges Facing Cybersecurity
This unconventional route towards cybersecurity leadership has given Miller a unique perspective. Having overcome medical hurdles standing between him and his ambitions, he has a strong awareness and understanding of the ways in which conviction and capability can be stymied by employers’ prioritisation of formal, traditional pathways.
“My journey taught me that there is a significant difference between knowledge and experience,” explains Miller. “Anyone can attend college, read books, listen to lectures and pass exams. However, it takes a serious commitment to truly understand what information technology and information security is about. Certifications are wonderful to verify that someone has knowledge, but it is no substitute for real world, ‘blue water’ experience.”