IT Skills Crisis Leads Many to Turn to MSPs
IT and cybersecurity talent is in short supply. And the personnel crunch is likely to get much worse. More and more companies are fighting over fewer resources. Part of the problem is an interruption of the skills supply chain during the COVI-10 lockdowns. Further drivers include Work-From-Home (WFH). A sizeable portion of the workforce decided they preferred life outside of the office, didn’t want to commute, and were unwilling to return to their cubicles. Some moved to different regions, others to remote parts of the country. And more than a few decided they didn’t want to work at all anymore.
IT and security skills, then, are a lower level than they have been in many years. As a result, the price tag for such skills has rocketed. The 15 Top-Paying IT Certifications list for 2022 from Skillsoft listed the average salaries associated with them. Cybersecurity and cloud certifications continue to lead the way, as do the salaries demanded by those possessing specialist skills related to Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, Microsoft Azure, Nutanix, VMware, and project management. Here is the list.
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional, $168,080.36
- CISM – Certified Information Security Manager, $162,347.07
- GCP – Professional Cloud Architect, $161,371.46
- CISSP – Certified Information Systems Security Professional, $158,190.79
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate, $155,019.97
- AWS Certified Security – Specialty, $149,740.74
- PMP: Project Management Professional, $148,290.32
- NCP-MCI – Nutanix Certified Professional – Multicloud Infrastructure (formerly NCP), $147,169.68
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert, $142,975.98
- GCP – Cloud Digital Leader, $142,707.86
- CISA – Certified Information Systems Auditor, $142,336.58
- AWS Certified Big Data – Specialty, $138,403.51
- VCP-DCV 2022 – VMware Certified Professional – DataCenter Virtualization 2022, $138,349.17
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, $135,612.16
- CCNP Enterprise, $133,568.33
Three of the top six most desirable certifications (CISM, CISSP, and AWS Certified Security – Specialty) are in the field of cybersecurity. Anyone holding such certs can demand an average of anywhere from $150,000 to $162,000. But that is just the average. In states where security professionals are most sought after such as California, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts, the pay rates are much higher.
Organizations are Turning to MSPs
No wonder so many organizations are turning to MSPs to ease the cybersecurity burden. Failing to find the resources they need to run or expand their own security operations – or being unwilling or unable to meet the salary demands – they are using MSPs in record numbers to take care of cybersecurity.
Popular areas include managed detection and response (MDR), backup, and ransomware protection and remediation. Some companies are even using MSPs to provide 24/7 security operations center (SOC) services on demand as well as virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) services – the organization gains access to an experienced CISO on a part time basis to set security strategy, policy, and planning, and monitor compliance and execution.
Another area of MSP delivery growth is in patch management, vulnerability management, and mobile device management (MDM). Known collectively as Unified Security and Endpoint Management (USEM), Syxsense Enterprise delivers real-time vulnerability monitoring and instant remediation for every single endpoint in your environment, as well as IT management across all endpoints. This represents the future of threat prevention as it brings everything needed for endpoint management and protection onto one console. Breaches can be detected and remediated within a single solution. The Syxsense platform can scan for all vulnerabilities on any device, block communication from an infected device to the internet, isolate endpoints, and kill malicious processes before they spread. It can automatically prioritize and deploy OS and third-party patches to all major operating systems, as well as Windows 10 feature updates. IT and security teams can use Syxsense Enterprise to collaborate on the detection and closing of attack vectors. It offers management, control, and security for any and all desktops, laptops, servers, virtual machines, and mobile devices. Syxsense Enterprise is available to MSPs via our attractive MSP Partner Program.
