Bridging the Cybersecurity Skills Gap: Why Managed Services Like Cyera’s DataWatcher Are Essential

The cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve at a rapid pace, but one thing remains constant: the persistent skills gap. According to ISC2’s 2025 Cybersecurity Hiring Trends report, 67% of organizations are facing staffing shortages, and 60% say skills gaps have significantly impacted their ability to secure their organizations. More than half (58%) admit these gaps put their organization at risk.

At the same time, the cost of a data breach has soared to an average of $4.88 million - a sobering reminder that unfilled roles and undertrained teams aren’t just HR problems; they’re potential threats to business continuity.

These shortages are being driven by several factors: rapid technology changes (particularly in AI and cloud security), limited training budgets, and an overreliance on small, overstretched security teams. While organizations are eager to bring in early-career talent, onboarding and upskilling take time - and threats don’t wait.

What Cybersecurity Managers Want - And Can’t Find

The ISC2 research highlights an interesting trend: the most valued skills aren’t purely technical.

Hiring managers ranked teamwork, problem-solving, analytical thinking, and critical thinking above even technical expertise in data security and cloud security. This reflects a new reality - cybersecurity professionals need to be both technically adept and capable collaborators who can think strategically in high-pressure environments.

However, entry and junior-level candidates often lack hands-on experience in critical areas like cloud security, endpoint remediation, and forensic investigation. Managers see potential but also face a hard truth: without adequate guidance, training, and capacity, even talented newcomers can struggle to meet today’s complex security demands.

The Cost of Doing Nothing

When organizations fail to address their skills gaps, they pay for it in multiple ways:

• Longer detection and remediation times following incidents.
• Increased workload and burnout among existing team members.
• Greater vulnerability to evolving threats, especially as AI-driven attacks outpace traditional defenses.
• Delayed security projects, from cloud migrations to compliance audits.

Without intervention, this cycle perpetuates, leading to higher turnover, slower recovery times, and escalating risk exposure.

Enter Cyera’s DataWatcher: A Managed Data Security Service for a Modern Cybersecurity Workforce

To address these challenges, Cyera created DataWatcher, a managed data security service built to bridge the technical capability and capacity gaps facing today’s security teams.

DataWatcher delivers end-to-end management of the Cyera AI Data Security Platform, real-time data security monitoring, risk analysis, and expert-led response support. It's designed for customers who want to strengthen their data security posture without stretching their existing team too thin. 

What DataWatcher offers:

• End-to-end management - from deployment to ongoing administration - of the Cyera Data Security platform.
• Visibility into your data landscape across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid infrastructures.
• Real-time Cyera data event monitoring and alerting.
• External exposure and data risk assessments.
• Post data breach analysis and remediation recommendations.

Bridging the Skills and Bandwidth Gap

DataWatcher was built for organizations that lack the skills or bandwidth to fully manage their data security environment. Whether your internal team is small, new, or spread thin, DataWatcher acts as an extension of your cybersecurity department - empowering your organization to:

• Focus on strategic priorities while Cyera handles operational complexity.
• Accelerate remediation through proactive monitoring and expert-led resolution.
• Bridge technical gaps in data security, cloud security, and incident response.
• Scale your security capabilities without needing to recruit hard-to-find specialists.

While the cybersecurity skills gap remains a global challenge, services like DataWatcher enable organizations to stay secure, compliant, and resilient - no matter the state of their hiring pipeline.

A Smarter Approach to Cyber Resilience

In a world where AI-driven threats evolve faster than hiring cycles, managed services are not a luxury - they’re a necessity. DataWatcher helps organizations bridge their talent gaps, strengthen defenses, and accelerate time-to-remediation, ensuring that security never takes a back seat to resource limitations.

For teams striving to stay ahead of threats without stretching their people too thin, DataWatcher is the partner that makes resilience possible.

To learn more about Cyera’s Datwatcher contact us today!

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