A recent study conducted by Check Point Software revealed that the protection of cloud environments is being threatened by a lack of cyber security expertise and employee training. The firm’s 2024 Cloud Security Report highlighted the alarming statistic that 61% of organizations have experienced security incidents related to public cloud use in the past year, a significant increase from the previous year’s 24%. Even more concerning is the fact that 21% of these incidents resulted in data breaches.

One of the key findings of the report was the shortage of cyber training and skills within organizations. According to the research, 32% of respondents cited a lack of skills as a barrier to effective cybersecurity defense in cloud environments, while 41% mentioned the lack of security awareness among employees as a major challenge. This shortage of skills is further exacerbated by the findings of ISC2, which identified cloud computing security as one of the top skills gaps in security teams.

Despite the clear importance of training in defending against cyber incidents in the cloud, the report highlighted that only 44% of organizations provide annual training, with a mere 26% conducting monthly sessions. This lack of emphasis on training not only contributes to a skills deficit but also leaves organizations vulnerable to sophisticated cyberattacks. Muhammad Yahya Patel, lead security engineer at Check Point Software, emphasized the need for organizations to prioritize education and prevention in cybersecurity. He pointed out that while 40% of organizations view prevention and mitigation as their biggest challenge, only 21% actually prioritize it, indicating a significant disconnect in beliefs about the achievability of prevention measures.

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies in cloud environments was also noted as a factor intensifying the need for new skills. The report revealed that 49% of respondents acknowledged the necessity for security experts to acquire new AI-related skills, while 35% expressed concerns about the lack of knowledge hindering AI adoption. Overcoming these barriers requires access to training and resources to ensure that organizations can effectively leverage these technologies to enhance their cloud security defenses.

Data security breaches emerged as the leading cloud security incident in the report, followed by misuse of cloud services and configuration errors. Insights from over 800 cloud and cybersecurity professionals were gathered to compile the research findings, highlighting the urgent need for organizations to address the skills gap and prioritize employee training to safeguard their cloud environments from potential threats.

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