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You only have to glance at today’s headlines to know that cybersecurity has surged to the top of the list of U.S. national security concerns. The good news is that more than a dozen states are engaged in a fierce competition to head the emerging leaderboard in cybersecurity facilities and programs. What the best initiatives have in common is close cooperation between U.S. Defense and intelligence assets and world-class institutions of higher education.
Cybersecurity is quickly becoming the most lucrative of careers in IT, but the red-hot demand for certified IT security professionals is already creating a nationwide shortage. According to industry experts, currently there are roughly half a million cyber security-related job openings in the United States, but the gap between available workforce and demand is growing exponentially. By 2019, there will be 6 million job openings for information security professionals—but only 4.5 million security professionals to fill those roles. Industry analysts say there will be a projected need for 1.8 million additional cybersecurity professionals to fill the workforce gap by 2022.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual rate of growth for jobs in information security is projected at 37 percent between now and 2022; IT security jobs offer salaries three times the national average.
Here’s an in-depth look at locations that have established a leadership position in cybersecurity, an emerging high-tech sector racing to meet a growing threat.
GEORGIA: RED HOT CYBER HUB
Georgia has become a hotbed for cybersecurity activity, ranking third in the nation for information security with companies in this sector generating more than $4.7 billion in annual revenue.
More than 14,300 tech companies and 115 information security companies, such as Check Point Software Technologies, Dell Securworks and IBM Security Services, are located in the Peach State. They benefit from a talent pool of nationally ranked cyber institutes such as Augusta University, Columbus State University, Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and University of Georgia.
Last April, Fortune magazine named both Atlanta and Augusta as two of the “7 Cities That Could Become the World’s Cybersecurity Capital.”
Read more: Cybersecurity Takes Center Stage
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