The must-have cybersecurity skills

As per the recent report shared by the Atlas VPN, the most in-demand cybersecurity skill is Application Development Security. Although cloud security provides better revenue, people who know more about application development security are very popular and in great demand these days. Atlas VPN pointed out in its report that in the next five years, the demand for application development security is likely to increase by 164%.

Most job opportunities will be in favor of the IT professionals such as Software Developer, Cybersecurity Engineer, Network Architect, etc. who have vast knowledge in application development security, cloud security, and risk management.

Cloud Security skill is the second most rapidly growing skill of 2020 as stated by the Atlas VPN report. It is estimated that the need for Cloud Security professionals will increase by 115% over the next five years and this skill is highly demanded in Cybersecurity Engineers and Consultants as well as Cloud Architects, System Engineers, and Software Developers.

Risk Management is yet another highly requested cybersecurity skill whose demand is predicted to increase by 60% in the coming five years. It has been noted that last year there were approximately 59,000 job vacancies for the Risk Management professionals.

Cloud Security emerged as the clear winner with around $15,000 as a salary boost for the skillset. Application Development Security stood at second position with $12,000 plus as a salary boost, and Risk Management made it to the third position with an average salary premium of $13,000.

According to the Atlas VPN report, these are the top 10 fastest-growing and The must-have cybersecurity skills to learn in 2021.

1. Application Development Security

2. Cloud Security

3. Risk Management

4. Threat Intelligence

5. Incident Response

6. Compliance and Controls

7. Data Privacy and Security

8. Access Management

9. Security Strategy and Governance

10.Health Information Security

It has been reported in the Atlas VPN that in the year 2020 there were approximately 414,000 job opportunities for Health Information Security Specialists even though Health Information Security is at the bottom of the top ten cybersecurity skills list. It is expected to increase by 20% in the approaching five years, which will subsequently open 737 new positions requiring proficiency in Health Information Security.

Cybersecurity skills are progressively in demand as the companies have initiated their remote work plans for the year 2021. As the majority of our work is taking place online, it is not only important but necessary to continue developing our cybersecurity skills and practices as cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated.

This analysis made by the Atlas VPN is centered on a report from Burning Glass Technologies published in October 2020. The report included a brief analysis of more than one billion job records to estimate the five-year growth plans for cybersecurity skills.

Opinions expressed by Top CISO contributors are their own.