Fortinet has released its 2025 Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report, shedding light on the new and persistent challenges Indian organisations face due to the cybersecurity skills gap. The survey’s key findings include:

  • As organisations are turning increasingly to AI to strengthen their security postures and fill gaps, they also acknowledge that AI may be used against them as an engine of new or improved cyberattacks, especially given the lack of AI skillsets across teams.
  • Lack of cybersecurity awareness and training remains the top cause of breaches.
  • Boards lack cyber knowledge, despite it being a priority.
  • Organisations want cybersecurity personnel with certifications.

 

Commenting on the report, Country Manager, India and SAARC, Fortinet, said, “This year’s survey further underscores the urgent need to invest in cybersecurity talent. Without closing the skills gap, organisations will continue to face rising breach rates and escalating costs. The findings highlight an inflection point for both public and private sectors: Without bold action to build and retain cybersecurity expertise, the risks and costs will only continue to grow for our society.”

As per the report, as cyberthreats continue to escalate, organisations face the reality that security attacks are not just a possibility but a certainty. At the same time, an estimated global shortfall of more than 4.7 million skilled professionals leads to critical security roles being unfilled at a time when they are needed most. Key findings about the impact of the skills gap on organisations globally include:

  • The volume of breaches organisations experience is increasing year over year. According to the 2025 Fortinet Global Skills Gap Report, 92 per cent of Indian organisations experienced at least one cyber breach in 2024, with nearly one-third (34 per cent) reporting five or more. The figures were marginally higher in 2021, when the inaugural Fortinet Global Skills Gap Report was released, in which 96 per cent of organisations reported breaches, and 44 per cent faced five or more.
  • The cybersecurity skills shortage is a key contributor to increased breaches. More than 50 per cent of those surveyed (54 per cent) indicated a lack of IT security skills and training as one of the leading causes of breaches in their organisations.
  • Financial ramifications of breaches remain significant. More than half (60 per cent) of surveyed organisations say cyber incidents cost them over $1 million in 2024, consistent with the prior year’s findings and sharply up from 38 per cent in 2021.

While AI offers critical relief amid ongoing cyber skills shortages, organisations may not yet be fully prepared to harness its potential securely. This year’s survey found:

  • Security technology with AI capabilities has been widely adopted. All of the organisations surveyed are either already using or plan to implement AI-enabled cybersecurity solutions, with threat detection and prevention cited as the top areas of interest for applying AI in cybersecurity.
  • AI can help alleviate the burden on short-staffed security teams. 82 per cent of cybersecurity professionals expect AI to enhance their roles, rather than replace them, offering efficiency and relief amid skills shortages.
  • While AI can help security teams, teams lack AI skillsets to unlock the technology’s full potential. A majority of those surveyed (90 per cent) say AI is helping their IT and security teams become more effective, but half (52 per cent) of IT decision makers point to a lack of staff with sufficient AI expertise as the biggest challenge to successful implementation. Seventy percent of organisations that suffered nine or more cyberattacks in 2024 had AI tools in place, suggesting that adoption alone isn’t enough without the right expertise.

When it comes to the board of directors’ understanding of cybersecurity’s role at their organisation, the report revealed the following:

  • Cybersecurity prioritisation at the board level is on the rise with 88 per cent of boards increasing their focus on the issue in 2024. All organisations now view cybersecurity as both a business (100 per cent) and financial (100 per cent) priority.
  • Board members aren’t as aware of the potential risks that AI use poses to their organisations. More than half (66 per cent) of all respondents indicated their boards fully understand the risks posed by AI, with awareness closely linked to whether their organisations are already deploying AI in their cybersecurity programs.

As the cyber skills shortage persists, other key findings from the report include:

  • Certifications continue to be highly valued by employers. Ninety eight percent of IT decision-makers prefer to hire candidates who hold certifications. Most respondents said certifications validate cybersecurity knowledge (61 per cent), demonstrate an ability to stay current in a fast-evolving field (65 per cent), and indicate familiarity with key vendor tools (61 per cent).
  • Organisational support for funding certifications has declined. Only 82 per cent of respondents now say they are willing to pay for employees to obtain certifications, down from 92 per cent in 2023.

Closing the Skills Gap Is Critical to Business Resilience The 2025 Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report makes clear that cybersecurity has become a board-level priority, driven by the rise of AI and the escalating risks to business operations. Closing the Indian skills gap remains essential. Organisations must rethink hiring practices, tap into underutilised talent pools, and invest in training and upskilling to build and retain the expertise they need. This requires a coordinated approach grounded in three key pillars: raising awareness and education, expanding access to targeted training and certification, and embracing advanced security technologies.

To help organisations address the challenges they face as a result of the cyber skills gap, the award-winning Fortinet Training Institute, one of the industry’s broadest training and certification programs, is dedicated to making cybersecurity certification and new career opportunities available to all populations, including a Security Awareness Training service for organisations to develop a cyber-aware workforce. The Security Awareness and Training service offers AI-focused modules to enhance understanding of AI and the role it plays in cybersecurity, including an introduction to GenAI and curriculum around AI-powered threats, covering the various methods that cybercriminals use when harnessing AI to create and enhance cyberattacks.