While most, 65 percent of DevOps (software development) IT people believe it is very important to have knowledge of DevOps when entering IT, they’re not receiving the necessary training through formal education, according to a survey.
Those surveyed said that their IT workforce is only somewhat prepared (55 percent) or not prepared (nearly 30 per cent) with the skills necessary to securely deliver software at the speed of DevOps. In fact, nearly 40 per cent of hiring managers surveyed reported that the hardest employees to find are the all-purpose DevOps people knowing enough about security testing.
Maria Loughlin, VP of Engineering, Veracode, said: “WannaCry and Petya are just two recent examples of large-scale cyberattacks that further demonstrate the importance of security in today’s exceedingly digital world. Despite this apparent need, security practices and secure software development isn’t required to earn a degree in IT or computer science. Our research with DevOps.com highlights the fact that there are no clear shortcuts to address the skills gap. Higher education and enterprises need to have a more mature expectation around what colleges should teach and where organisations need to supplement education given the ever-changing nature of programming languages and frameworks. The industry will have to come together to ensure the safety of the application economy.”
Although nearly 80 percent of respondents have a bachelor or master’s degree – with 50 percent reporting that they studied and earned degrees in computer science – there is still a lack of cybersecurity knowledge prior to entering the workforce. The survey found that 70 percent of respondents said the security education they received is not adequate for what their positions require, and that they’re learning their most relevant professional skills on the job (65 per cent).
For more, read a Veracode blog.
Methodology
The study, commissioned by Veracode and conducted by DevOps.com, surveyed nearly 400 DevOps globally. To read more about how DevSecOps, download Veracode’s Developer’s Guide to the DevSecOps Galaxy.
