The State of the Security Workforce 2011

thumbnail The State of the Security Workforce 2011

The State of the Security Workforce 2011 As of 2010, Frost & Sullivan estimates that there are 2.28 million information security professionals worldwide. This figure is expected to increase to nearly 4.2 million by 2015. No Title Three out of five security professionals said they got a raise in 2010. No Title The survey found […]

Apr 1, 2011
Channel Insider content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More

1The State of the Security Workforce 2011

As of 2010, Frost & Sullivan estimates that there are 2.28 million information security professionals worldwide. This figure is expected to increase to nearly 4.2 million by 2015.

2No Title

Three out of five security professionals said they got a raise in 2010.

3No Title

The survey found that the average worldwide salary for (ISC)2 members was $98,600 and for non-members was $78,500 when both had about five years of experience.

4No Title

The survey showed that 34 percent of organizations plan to increase spending on personnel in 2011 and 37 percent plan to increase hardware and software expenditures.

5No Title

The budgets aren’t increasing as steadily for services. Only 25 percent of organizations have more budget for professional services and 28 percent for outsourced or managed services in 2011.

6No Title

About a third of organizations plan to increase spending for training and certifications this year.

7No Title

60 percent of security professionals plan to add new certifications to their resumes in the next year.

8No Title

89 percent of professionals view certifications as very important to somewhat important to employers.

9No Title

Application vulnerabilities represent the number one threat to organizations.

10No Title

41 percent of respondents reported that organizations need to better train infosec staff to handle application security.

11No Title

More than 20 percent of information security professionals reported involvement in software development.

12No Title

Mobile devices were the second highest security concern for the organization, right behind application vulnerabilities.

13No Title

Slightly under a third of respondents said they have no policies set to protect the organization from social media threats.

14No Title

More than 50 percent of information security professionals reported having private clouds in place, and more than 40 percent of respondents reported using software as a service.

15No Title

At the same time, more than 70 percent of professionals reported the need for new skills to properly secure cloud-based technologies.

16No Title

85 percent of respondents reported they were worried about exposure of confidential or sensitive information to unauthorized systems or personnel due to cloud computing.

Recommended for you...

Galactic Advisors Wins Credential-Free Assessment Patent

Galactic Advisors patents a user-activated, credential-free pen testing tool, boosting MSP security with risk-free, forensic-grade assessments.

Jordan Smith
Aug 6, 2025
Flashpoint Mid-Year Report: Cyber Threats are Escalating

Flashpoint’s 2025 Midyear Index reveals an 800% rise in info-stealing malware and significant surges in ransomware, vulnerabilities, and breaches.

Franklin Okeke
Aug 5, 2025
Cloudbrink Adds Native ID Management, Crowdstrike Integration

Cloudbrink expands Personal SASE with identity services and Crowdstrike integration, unifying user and device security for zero-trust access control.

Jordan Smith
Aug 5, 2025
Malwarebytes Launches New Email Security Module

Malwarebytes adds AI-powered email protection to ThreatDown, unifying endpoint and email security for MSPs via IRONSCALES tech and Nebula console.

Jordan Smith
Jul 23, 2025
Channel Insider Logo

Channel Insider combines news and technology recommendations to keep channel partners, value-added resellers, IT solution providers, MSPs, and SaaS providers informed on the changing IT landscape. These resources provide product comparisons, in-depth analysis of vendors, and interviews with subject matter experts to provide vendors with critical information for their operations.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2025 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.