N-able survey: 28% of companies cannot find their IT specialist even within a year

A shortage of suitable cybersecurity IT specialists is forcing organizations to increasingly rely on MSP providers' services

PRAGUE, October 23, 2024 – ZEBRA SYSTEMS, a distributor of N-able solutions in the Czech and Slovak markets, stated that in its survey of customers and partners, only 20% of respondents said they could find a new IT specialist with the required skills within three months, while for 28% it takes more than a year. An increasing number of organizations are therefore seeking cybersecurity services from external suppliers and managed service providers (MSPs).

The data shows that the shortage of qualified IT administrators persists, with one reason being the increasingly demanding protection against sophisticated cyberattacks. Remote management and monitoring traditionally account for a significant share of administrative duties; however, due to NIS 2 requirements, more and more IT administrators are occupied with endpoint protection and corporate data protection. The main strengths sought in candidates for new positions include an interest in learning new technologies and problem-solving skills.

Key survey findings:

• Only 2% of organizations manage to find the right IT specialist within 1 month, another 18% within 3 months, and a further 52% within 1 year. For 28% of respondents, it takes more than a year.
• In candidates, they primarily value an interest in learning new technologies (76%), problem-solving skills (70%), and cybersecurity experience (33%). Only 2% of respondents value foreign language skills.
• Currently, their IT administrators are most occupied with endpoint protection (EDR, XDR, MDR) at 34%, followed by remote management and monitoring (RMM) at 32%, and corporate data protection (Backup, DR) at 26%.
• From the NIS 2 perspective, data protection solutions (38%) and EDR solutions (29%), supplemented by vulnerability scanning (27%), are key for respondents.

“The need to defend against more sophisticated attacks, combined with more complex legal requirements and directives, creates considerable pressure on organizations that they cannot address without experienced IT specialists,” said Ondřej Šabata, Sales Engineer for N-able solutions at ZEBRA SYSTEMS. “The solution for them is to turn to MSPs or MSSPs that focus more on security. Thanks to specialization and efficient tools, this is also a more cost-effective option for many customers than expanding their own IT department. Another major advantage of MSPs is their ability to deploy services immediately, avoiding months of waiting for a new IT employee.”