Cyberattacks have become increasingly sophisticated and frequent, with malicious actors leveraging new technologies like AI. Although organizations are boosting investments in training and software, persistent skill gaps mean there’s only so much they can achieve alone. Increased public sector investment is essential to support cybersecurity efforts and protect Canadian data.
"With the advancements in the threat landscape, local and provincial governments must prioritize cybersecurity investments holistically," said Shane McMillan, Fortinet's Regional Director for Public Sector, Western Canada. " Addressing the skill gap and budget constraints by investing in early alert solutions, resilience and training for existing staff can help improve cybersecurity both within government and nationally.”
Understanding the pressing issues
The public sector faces an increasingly complex cyber threat landscape. According to the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) in its latest National Cyber Threat Assessment, Canadian government institutions and critical infrastructure are becoming more frequent targets for state-sponsored and financially motivated actors. These intrusions at various government levels put Canadians’ personal and financial information at risk and can jeopardize access to essential public services.
The global cybersecurity outlook is equally concerning. Fortinet's 2024 Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report reveals that 87 per cent of organizations surveyed experienced at least one breach in the past year, with over half (63 per cent) taking a month or more to recover. Key drivers of these breaches include inadequate skills among IT and security staff (58 per cent), a lack of security awareness among employees and organizations (56 per cent), and limited access to necessary cybersecurity resources (54 per cent).
Addressing the skills gap
Estimates suggest that globally, 4.8 million cybersecurity professionals are needed to address the workforce gap. In Canada, the Information and Communications Technology Council reports that one in six cybersecurity positions remains unfilled. The Skills Gap Report also shows that over half of organizations struggle to attract and retain talent, particularly for in-demand skills like cloud security, threat intelligence, and malware analysis.
British Columbia’s cybersecurity industry is rapidly growing. Since opening its Burnaby location in 2000, Fortinet has made significant investments in B.C. Its 510,000-square-foot Burnaby campus hosts research and development facilities and a security and network operations center, with over 1,800 of Fortinet’s nearly 3,000 Canadian employees based there.
"Securing talent is vital to the cybersecurity industry, in B.C. and beyond,” McMillan said. “Training is a critical solution to address talent shortages. That’s why, in 2021, we committed to training a million people globally in cybersecurity by 2026. This approach of building in-house expertise is something government agencies can also adopt to develop a cybersecurity workforce attuned to their specific needs.”
Fortinet’s globally recognized Training Institute offers various programs to develop cybersecurity expertise, from general awareness to professional certifications.
Equipping the next generation
Fortinet also partners with B.C.’s academic institutions to support local cybersecurity training for the next generation of cybersecurity leaders. Through its Academic Partner Program, schools like Simon Fraser University, British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), and Vancouver Community College have access to Fortinet’s training resources. Fortinet also provides free, bilingual K-12 security awareness training to B.C. school districts, helping young people improve cyber hygiene and explore cybersecurity as a potential career path.
While training the current workforce helps to close the skills gap in the short term, municipal investment in educational programs and student training is crucial to building a future workforce equipped with the foundational skills needed to meet the demands of this rapidly evolving industry.
Key areas for strategic investment
While investments in skilled cybersecurity professionals are essential, equipping the BC public sector with the right cybersecurity tools is equally critical to defend against evolving cyber threats. By adopting a platform-based cybersecurity approach, organizations across B.C. can strengthen their security frameworks while managing device complexity.
"Leveraging a platform approach like Fortinet Security Fabric allows organizations to move away from reliance on multiple solutions," said McMillan. "This shift helps to reduce administrative overhead, streamline tools and enable enhanced visibility and native automation across systems."
In B.C.’s unique cybersecurity landscape, investments in threat intelligence and AI-driven solutions support proactive threat management and help IT teams operate more efficiently. For example, FortiGuard’s AI-powered solutions integrate advanced AI, machine learning technologies, and expert cybersecurity analysis to monitor global threats, accelerating prevention, detection and response.
With cyberattacks on government institutions rising and impacting communities across B.C., all levels of government must prioritize investment in skilled professionals, universal security awareness and robust technologies that support early alerts, comprehensive visibility and resilience.