SAN FRANCISCO — May 8, 2024 — As the talent gap continues to present a massive and growing challenge within the cybersecurity industry, NightDragon, Cisco and World Wide Technology (WWT) today announced a collaboration with NPower to increase diversity and empower individuals from all backgrounds to pursue careers in cybersecurity.
The cyber talent gap presents a significant and immediate issue to the cybersecurity industry, with 92% of cyber organizations reporting a talent shortage, according to the latest Cybersecurity Workforce Study from ISC2, and an estimated total workforce gap of around 4 million positions. The gap is particularly prominent for women, which account for only 24% of the cybersecurity workforce, and minorities and people of color, which represent only 26%.
NPower, a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing the cyber and technology careers of thousands of students, is working to address these issues through free technology training, support and job-placement services that help young adults, military-connected individuals, women from under-resourced communities and other students from nontraditional backgrounds transition to lucrative and rewarding careers in cybersecurity and technology.
“Creating a new pipeline of talent for the tech workforce has never been more essential, and it is up to us as an industry to work together to provide the training and development that will make it possible for people of all backgrounds to break into cybersecurity and other fast-growing technology roles. We are excited to work with Cisco, WWT and NightDragon to raise awareness of this issue and make a significant impact together,” said Bertina Ceccarelli, CEO of NPower.
Under the collaboration, announced at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, Cisco, NightDragon, WWT and NPower will work together to close the cyber talent gap and advance the state of cybersecurity workforce training and development by hiring NPower candidates within their respective ecosystems and supporting the non-profit through volunteer engagement. Additionally, the organizations will work together to evangelize the importance of closing the cyber talent gap and increasing diversity within the industry.
Commitments from the organizations include:
- NightDragon has formalized a partnership with NPower and will encourage its portfolio companies to support the organization and place qualified candidates in open roles. Additionally, NightDragon portfolio company ThriveDX has committed $1 million in scholarships to its cybersecurity boot camps to help support talent training efforts.
- WWT, a long-time strategic partner of NPower, will build on its decade-long commitment to fostering diversity in the tech industry through mentorship, resources and opportunities for underrepresented individuals to thrive in technology careers. Since 2014, more than 50 NPower graduates have become interns, apprentices and full-time employees at WWT.
- Cisco will work to identify qualified individuals trained through the NPower skill program for cybersecurity-focused roles.
The collaboration with NPower builds on existing efforts from Cisco, NightDragon and WWT to advance inclusion across the industry. Cisco is a leader in advancing cyber talent, including hosting the Cyber Talent Bridge to connect qualified talent with open roles, ongoing efforts around diversity across internal and industry, and most recently, a consortium to address AI impact on the workforce.
“Cisco is committed to fostering diversity and empowering emerging leaders from various backgrounds as part of our purpose – to power an inclusive future for all. We believe in leveraging technology to drive inclusive innovation. We are grateful to NPower, WWT and NightDragon for partnering with us to drive meaningful change within our industry,” said Gloria Goins, Chief Diversity Officer at Cisco.
NightDragon supports its portfolio to build diverse teams through partnerships with organizations like NextGen Cyber Talent and invests in companies innovating in this sector, such as ThriveDX. “At NightDragon, we believe that it takes a village to solve critical industry challenges like closing the cyber talent gap and increasing diversity across the sector. We look forward to collaborating with Cisco, WWT and NPower to help evangelize and drive change for this essential issue and help build a more vibrant, diverse and successful cybersecurity industry,” said Dave DeWalt, CEO at NightDragon.
“Making a new world happen is the foundation of WWT’s culture. We are excited to join forces with Cisco, NightDragon and NPower to create pathways for individuals from underserved communities and Military Veterans to thrive in cybersecurity and build a stronger and more inclusive future,” said Matt Horner, SVP Global Enterprise, Solutions and Architecture at WWT.
