Industry leaders decry widening shortage of cloud security engineers

A cloud security engineer plans, designs and implements security measures to protect cloud infrastructure and data, ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulations.

With the growing number of cyber-attacks like ransomware and phishing, businesses need advanced security solutions. Cloud security offers built-in protections like encryption, firewalls, and AI-driven threat detection to safeguard sensitive data.

“It is very hard for a company or a customer to operate many products in cyber security. What we see is not a product problem...The problem is in the human resources,” Motiz Peretz, Vice President of Product, Orca Security explained to Business Daily on the sidelines of CyberTech 2025, an annual security conference in Tel Aviv.

“We don’t have enough experienced people in cloud security despite it being the future,” he added.

Inadequate sensitisation and the relatively new tech sub-sector can be attributed to the talent shortage.

“Because of artificial intelligence and an ever-changing technology, cloud security is where you will see the highest pace of development,” Bar Kaduri, Head of Research at Orca Security told Business Daily.

Read: Why Kenya needs more cybersecurity professionals urgently

Security companies are now opting to train talent on cloud security although one may need to have basic cyber-security skills before niching down to specific roles as cloud security engineering training.

Kenya has newly proposed a national cloud computing policy as part of measures aimed at further tightening the country’s cybersecurity measures as well as accelerating adoption and aligning with international best practices.

The Ministry of ICT says the new policy will mandate all entities to prioritise cloud-based solutions when making ICT investments, including procurement of hardware and software and renewal of existing software licenses.

“Currently there is no legal framework to direct organisations to adopt Cloud hence some organizations are still investing in server rooms and data centres in a bid to host their applications,” notes the ministry in the draft proposal.

“The establishment of a Cloud Policy in Kenya presents an opportunity to address gaps in the existing policy and legal framework related to cloud computing. By defining clear objectives, enhancing the legal framework, and promoting best practices, Kenya can position itself as a leader in cloud computing, driving innovation, efficiency, and competitiveness in the digital economy.”