The Cybersecurity Skills Gap Indonesia Can’t Afford to Ignore

As businesses, government institutions and other organizations accelerate digital adoption, the need for cybersecurity professionals continues to grow. At the same time, the skills required to protect increasingly complex environments are changing.

Cloud security, threat intelligence, security operations, penetration testing and artificial intelligence are becoming part of the modern cybersecurity skill set. The gap between available talent and the capabilities organizations actually need is becoming harder to ignore.

Cybersecurity Needs Are Changing Faster Than Skills

The global cybersecurity workforce is facing a skills shortage alongside its broader talent challenge.

The 2025 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study found that 95% of cybersecurity professionals surveyed reported at least one skills need within their teams, while 59% described those needs as critical or significant. The study also found that 88% had experienced at least one significant cybersecurity consequence because of skills shortages.

For Indonesia, the implication is clear: building a cybersecurity team isn't simply about filling vacancies. Organizations need professionals who can apply their knowledge to real security problems.

The skills required are also changing rapidly. The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 lists networks and cybersecurity among the fastest-growing skill areas through 2030, alongside AI and big data and technological literacy.

AI is particularly relevant. According to ISC2, AI was identified as the most pressing skills need by 41% of cybersecurity professionals surveyed, followed by cloud security at 36%.

The modern cybersecurity professional therefore needs to understand more than traditional security controls. They need to understand how modern infrastructure works, how attackers operate and how emerging technologies are changing both attack and defense.

Knowing Cybersecurity Isn't the Same as Doing Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is a practical discipline.

Someone can understand what a vulnerability is without knowing how to validate it. Someone can understand the role of a Security Operations Center without knowing how to investigate a suspicious alert.

The difference becomes clear in real situations:

• SOC analysts need to investigate alerts, identify threats and determine the appropriate response.
• Penetration testers need to discover vulnerabilities, validate their impact and communicate findings clearly.
• Threat intelligence analysts need to connect technical indicators with attacker behavior and turn that information into useful security decisions.
• Security professionals working with AI need to understand how AI can improve security while also recognizing the new risks AI systems can create.

These capabilities develop through practice.

That's why cybersecurity education needs to move beyond theory and give learners opportunities to work with realistic tools, scenarios and security challenges.

AI Is Adding Another Layer to the Skills Gap

The rise of AI makes the challenge even more complex.

Security teams can use AI to analyze large volumes of information, automate repetitive tasks and support threat detection and investigation. Attackers can use AI to make their operations faster and more scalable.

At the same time, organizations are introducing AI into products and business processes, creating new security and governance requirements.

Cybersecurity professionals increasingly need to understand both disciplines:

Cybersecurity skills

• Offensive and defensive security
• Security operations
• Threat intelligence
• Vulnerability management
• Incident response

AI skills

• AI and machine learning fundamentals
• AI security risks
• AI governance and risk
• Responsible AI
• Applying AI to security operations

This combination is creating demand for professionals who can understand both cybersecurity and emerging technology.

Building Practical Cybersecurity and AI Skills

Closing the skills gap requires more than increasing the number of cybersecurity courses available.

Training needs to reflect what professionals actually encounter in the workplace. Learners need opportunities to develop technical skills, solve realistic problems and understand how security decisions are made in operational environments.

That means cybersecurity education should cover areas such as:

• Offensive security: penetration testing and ethical hacking
• Defensive security: SOC operations, detection and incident response
• Threat intelligence: understanding threats and attacker behavior
• GRC: governance, risk and compliance
• AI: applying AI while understanding its security and governance risks

This is the approach behind ITSEC Cyber & AI Academy.

ITSEC Cyber & AI Academy

ITSEC Cyber & AI Academy brings ITSEC Asia's cybersecurity experience into a dedicated education platform focused on developing cybersecurity and AI capabilities.

The Academy offers cybersecurity learning paths covering Red Team, Blue Team, threat intelligence and governance, risk and compliance. Its programs connect learning with practical knowledge and industry experience, helping learners understand how cybersecurity skills are applied in real environments.

The Academy also offers AI-focused programs covering areas such as AI and machine learning, AI governance and risk and AI leadership.

The combination matters because cybersecurity and AI are becoming increasingly connected. Organizations need people who understand cybersecurity, while also needing professionals who can assess the security, risk and business implications of AI.

Closing the Gap Starts With Practical Skills

Indonesia's digital economy will continue to create demand for cybersecurity professionals. The question is whether the workforce can develop at the same pace.

Closing the cybersecurity skills gap requires investment in people who can apply their knowledge, adapt to new technologies and solve security problems in real environments.

For students, that means building practical skills early. For IT professionals, it means continuing to develop capabilities as technology and threats evolve. For organizations, it means investing in training that strengthens the capabilities of their existing teams.

The cybersecurity skills gap won't be solved by headcount alone. Indonesia needs professionals who are prepared for the work.

ITSEC Cyber & AI Academy is built to help develop those capabilities through cybersecurity and AI education grounded in industry experience.

Ready to build your cybersecurity and AI skills?

Explore ITSEC Cyber & AI Academy:
https://www.itsec.academy/