Getty Images/iStockphoto CISO's guide to hiring for the right cybersecurity skills The cybersecurity talent gap won't be solved by head count alone. CISOs need to fundamentally rethink how they recruit, how they retain talent and what skills they really need. The cybersecurity talent crisis has moved from a simple numbers problem to a fundamental mismatch between what organizations need and what the workforce can deliver. While 87% of organizations plan to expand their security teams this year, according to Fortinet Training Institute's "2026 Cybersecurity Skills Gap" report, the CyberSeek online data tool found that there are only enough available cybersecurity workers in the U.S. to meet 74% of employer demand. As problematic as that data is, it doesn't encapsulate the full extent of the workforce challenge. Cybersecurity leaders are finding not only a shortfall in the number of cybersecurity professionals, but also a significant misalignment between the available skills in the market and those needed in enterprise cybersecurity departments. Researchers from SANS Institute and GIAC called it "a widening skills gap that organizations struggle to close, even as they increasingly recognize that having the right abilities matters more than simply adding head count," in the "2026 Cybersecurity Workforce Research Report." "The problem isn't a shortage in head count. We're never going to get the numbers we want to get. It's really more about getting the needed skills," said Brian Correia, director of global cyber workforce strategy and engagement at SANS. CISOs must modernize their approach to recruiting workers. This involves moving away from a conventional search strategy and adopting one that creates multiple talent pipelines and emphasizes workforce development to ensure hires continuously learn the latest skills. The impact of the security talent, skills gaps Staffing challenges affect an organization's cybersecurity posture. Recent research from ISC2 found that 88% of