 According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the shortage of cyber security professionals in the United States has increased by more than 50 percent since 2015, leaving 1.8 million cyber security positions vacant. At the same time, the critical need for security professionals continues to grow every day on a global scale. Part of this is driven by organizations looking exclusively for security staff with a four-year technical degree. This means narrowing the talent pool and missing out on talented individuals who may have other skillsets to bring to the table. For example, a journalist might be a good hire for an intelligence team because they have been trained to think critically and conduct diligent research. While the cyber security talent gap won’t be solved overnight, there are some steps that organizations can take to address this challenge right now. FireEye is launching the new Security Analyst and Investigator Training Program to help organizations keep on top of their regular training for security staff. This program provides hands-on technical experience where students learn and practice investigating targeted attacks and executing analysis of compromised systems. This program offers three distinct capability development tracks: Each track draws from our existing education classes, which are based on FireEye’s extensive experience defending against and responding to the world’s more complex and impactful cyber breaches – not theoretical scenarios.  Ultimately, this training program helps organizations improve the operational readiness of their security team, enabling them to prevent, detect and respond to threats through simulated exercises that feature the latest attacker tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs). This program is delivered by live experts and is available worldwide. View our datasheet to learn more about the new Security Analyst and Investigator Training Program., and also take a look at the existing Training Course Catalog.		According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the shortage of cyber security professionals in the United States has increased by more than 50 percent since 2015, leaving 1.8 million cyber security positions vacant. At the same time, the critical need for security professionals continues to grow every day on a global scale.Part of this is driven by organizations looking exclusively for security staff with a four-year technical degree. This means narrowing the talent pool and missing out on talented individuals who may have other skillsets to bring to the table. For example, a journalist might be a good hire for an intelligence team because they have been trained to think critically and conduct diligent research.While the cyber security talent gap won’t be solved overnight, there are some steps that organizations can take to address this challenge right now.Establish a relationship with a trusted cyber security provider: Enlist an experienced service provider that can serve as a mentor for helping organizations understand the essential skills needed to relentlessly protect an organization’s sensitive infrastructure and critical assets. Credible providers do this by working on the front lines of cyber security incidents, in turn possessing attacker intelligence that regularly affects the cyber threat landscape. A trusted advisor will also become familiar with an organization’s technology stack, which speaks to the unique operational capabilities of each security program. Full knowledge of a security program will enable a seasoned service provider to help teams realize their skills gaps, as well as prioritize accessible training options.Offer continuous training for new hires and tenured staff: Enable new security hires to gain the experience they need as efficiently as possible. Ensure your workforce is primed and ready to support all aspects of an incident by training employees on the latest skillsets that comply with the ever-changing threat landscape. A defined training program will ensure all security employees possess the same, necessary functional knowledge to execute a successful security program, and a great way to achieve this is by following a program that incorporates hands-on team exercises that shine a light on the unique roles of respective colleagues, and the actions that team members should be taking during cyber incidents. Offering regular refresher courses will ensure staff is up-to-date on the latest threats and types of attacker activity.Introducing the Security Analyst and Investigator Training ProgramFireEye is launching the new Security Analyst and Investigator Training Program to help organizations keep on top of their regular training for security staff. This program provides hands-on technical experience where students learn and practice investigating targeted attacks and executing analysis of compromised systems. This program offers three distinct capability development tracks:Incident Response: The Incident Response track is designed specifically for first responders who focus on activity triage, rapid recovery, and investigation preparation. This track includes an exercise that gives students the opportunity to face realistic cyber attack simulations representative of high-profile security breaches in a consequence-free environment.Security Operations: The Security Operations track is built to improve a staff’s daily operational awareness, exploring topics that include attacker techniques and vulnerability use across the attack lifecycle, and how to use that intelligence to improve detection and response.Advanced Analysis and Assessment: The Advanced Analysis and Assessment track helps teams explore threats and program vulnerabilities through the eyes of an attacker and understand complex malware and corresponding defense mechanisms. This track also includes a network and endpoint hunt mission.Each track draws from our existing education classes, which are based on FireEye’s extensive experience defending against and responding to the world’s more complex and impactful cyber breaches – not theoretical scenarios. Ultimately, this training program helps organizations improve the operational readiness of their security team, enabling them to prevent, detect and respond to threats through simulated exercises that feature the latest attacker tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs). This program is delivered by live experts and is available worldwide.View our datasheet to learn more about the new Security Analyst and Investigator Training Program., and also take a look at the existing Training Course Catalog.