A lot has been said about the digital skills gap. The fact of the matter is that even tech companies lack enough employees with sometimes basic skills.
One of the latest examples of this is the Equifax data breach. Latest reports about it are worrying not because the hackers were so great, but because the security was so poor. CNET cited Equifax as saying the breach was due to an unpatched server. The problem is, the said flaws in Apache Struts were fixed months ago, but no one updated the server.
Even worse, cybersecurity specialist Brian Krebs reported that an Argentinian server of Equifax was with even worse security. It’s as worse as storing data unencrypted and using “admin” as the administrator password for a server containing user submitted credit disputes. And while it’s debatable whether Equifax is a true tech company, a lot of it’s processes and activity relies heavily on technology and cybersecurity is vital. Yet, it seems neglected.
Digital skills in need
The problem is not that the company doesn’t care about security, because that’s not true. It does. But it experiences the same lack of skilled talent, that most companies do. Today digital skills are need in all companies and this brings a lot of options for IT pros. The result is that even tech companies suffer. On a global basis, companies are losing faith in their digital smarts. In PwC’s 2017 Global Digital IQ Survey, 52% rated their digital IQ as strong.
There are several areas where tech companies and other organizations have the same digital skills gap. The top ones are cybersecurity and privacy. Keeping the user and customer data safe is a top priority for all companies.
Programming and web development are a close second. Skills in Bootstrap, Angular, PHP, JavaScript, MySQL are all in top demand.
Some specific platform-oriented skills are also very hot. Currently that’s mostly Microsoft, but other platforms like SAP, VMWare and Oracle are also often sought after. Data analytical skills and cloud networking skills are also on the list. There’s one place where you can find a lot of trainings for all of them.
“In the Pew study, 52% of respondents were hesitant with respect to embracing technology wholeheartedly. It’s worth acknowledging that you’re employing some of these people right now”, Harvard Business Review notes. This is tied to another problem for the digital skills gap – the need to change the mindset of many workers and employers. Only then they can fully tackle the digital skills gap and turn the problem into an opportunity to help people develop and hone the skills that will drive their careers forward.