If it feels like cybersecurity is getting more difficult to perform with each passing year, you are not imagining.

Threats are advancing in sophistication, hackers are getting smarter, more attack surface is needing coverage thanks to cloud and other connected devices, more data is accessible by both external adversaries and trusted insiders, and resource demands are continuing to outpace supply.

But it is that final factor - best manifested by the well-documented and worsening security skills shortage facing organizations worldwide - which may be the most to blame. Given this somber reality, that organizations are most at the mercy by something that seems so insurmountable at the moment, we wanted to more closely scrutinize this vexatious trend to help you better understand the current situation and use fresh data to make decisions on how to more effectively and immediately respond.

• How difficult is it to find, recruit and retain IT security talent?
• Are security teams more concerned with hiring staff or obtaining skills?
• In which areas are organizations most in need of security skills?
• Which areas of security do decision makers believe should receive the most funding?
• What remedies exist to fill security resource gaps?
• What can get an IT security staff member fired?