Canada: Cybersecurity, Quantum Computing Skills in High Demand, Low Supply
SecTor 2019: Experts say more resources needed to meet cybersecurity skills shortage
Points to note…
+ Governments and the private sector have to do more if Canada wants to overcome the shortage of cybersecurity talent needed to meet online threats, experts stressed during a security conference.
+ While universities and colleges have in the past five years greatly boosted the number of cybersecurity-related courses they offer from 400 to 1,300, it’s still not enough, Michele Mosca, co-founder of the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, told the annual SecTor conference in Toronto.
“The bottom line is … we have to create more capacity,” Mosca said. “There’s no way we can keep up with what’s needed with the current investment.”
Mosca noted the race to build quantum computers is providing many opportunities for companies to build quantum-resistant solutions.
+ Lax, who urged Canadian firms to help support startups, noted L-Spark has found several big companies — Telus, BlackBerry Limited, Solace and G+D Mobile Security — to back a proof of concept secure Internet of Things wireless platform for testing applications. Four startups have been provided with software development kits to create secure IoT products that can run on the stack.
+ As for whether that alleged Canadian trait of being nice is a help or a hindrance to cybersecurity careers, Trend Micro’s Macmillan argued Canadians have risen in the international firm in part because we “aren’t threatening.”
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