Ovum: What the cyber security industry really needs

Cyber security industry growth requires collaboration and skilled professionals. This is the word from Mike Sapien, research analyst at Ovum.

"RSA Conference 2015 attracted a mix of security industry vendors, providers, and media; it is one of the few industry conferences to have grown in both scope and size," he says.

"Every vertical industry, business, and consumer of technology must manage or worry about security on a corporate or personal level."

Sapien says vendors, providers, and investors are all seeing high growth in the energy around security, which is "driving high demand for skilled security professionals and highlighting the increasing need for collaboration within the industry.

Sapien explains that cyber security and threat intelligence efforts are driving an increasing need for collaboration.

"RSA Conference 2015 had a strong focus on improving threat intelligence and cyber security measures," he says. "Proactive and preventative measures are now more critical than ever, and many security providers and vendors are working on enhanced threat management and intelligence techniques that demonstrate real applications of data analytics.

Sapien insists collaboration is required on many fronts: between the private and public sectors, between providers and suppliers, and between providers and enterprise customers.

"In addition, almost every session included a mention of the need for skilled security professionals. The shortage of such individuals will need to be addressed in many different ways, not just through recruitment or training," says Sapien.

"For example, universities will need to develop programmes that address the variety of skills required for the industry. Staffing will need to become much more than enterprises poaching from their competitors or customers.