British and Irish IT leaders believe overwhelming stress has been affecting their employer's ability to retain the best tech talent, new research has claimed.
The figures, which highlight a troubling talent shortage across the industry, come from a report by cybersecurity firm SenseOn, which found the vast majority (95%) of bosses agreed stress was a major concern.
Consequentially, two in five (41%) now consider a lack of skilled personnel to be a primary challenge when it comes to managing cyber threats.
Companies are losing workers because they’re too stressed
Though the study did not specifically explore the impacts of artificial intelligence on the cybersecurity industry, SenseOn found companies are unhappy with the pace at which technology is stepping in to fill the gap.
Among those turning to tech for quick fixes, the average implementation has been up to six months, plus a further six months for staff training. The extended timeline adds additional strain on IT teams, with around two-thirds (64%) acknowledging that they could have used this time more productively.
Around a quarter (27%) of the companies surveyed were found not to have a threat detection and response solution in operation at all, with many companies focusing too heavily on ease of implementation rather than cost and vendor reputation, indicating a more short-term decision-making process.
“Too often, organisations buy new cybersecurity solutions as a knee jerk reaction to issues like growing cyber threats or stress among their IT teams," commented SenseOn CEO David Atkinson.
"But they’re not thinking about the value they will provide in both the short-and long-term, and the broader implications.”
Atkinson’s advice is for companies to take a more measured approach to make sense of the data in order to find the right solution. He added: “more tools don’t equate to increased security, in fact it can create extra vulnerabilities and add to the pressure on employees.”
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