Q&A with Mike Fry: Tackling the Cybersecurity Skills Gap

Tackling the Cybersecurity Skills Gap

Global, Feb 11, 2026

To accompany the release of the recent IDC infographic “From Shortage to Strength: Fixing the Cyber Skills Gap,” we sat down with Mike Fry, Infrastructure, Data and Security Solutions Director at Logicalis UK&I, to get his view on the findings and what they mean for organisations today.

Logicalis: Hi Mike, thank you for sharing your insights today on the cyber‑skills topic. To begin, let’s review one of the standout data points in the latest IDC infographic: 40% of organisations struggle to retain top talent. What’s driving this challenge?”

Mike Fry: Talent is difficult to retain, and that stat really jumps out to me. Security people like getting their hands dirty. They like beating the bad guys. They love the thrill of finding a threat actor inside an environment and shutting them down. And you want them to have this experience, just not on your watch, in your organisation. So, as a result, they may drift elsewhere where they do get that experience. Holding on to them is difficult because they'll migrate to an area where they can hone their skills and develop their career. This is what SOC partners and providers can offer to them, where individual organisations may struggle.

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IDC statistic

 

Logicalis: Why do you think organisations are struggling to hire and retain cybersecurity talent?

Mike Fry: Well, we know there aren't enough people because of the reforms needed to our education system to invest in early-years numeracy. Society needs to promote a cyber career as aspirational, and it needs to teach society that this is as important to protecting our nation as much as the armed forces - even if they're employed within the public or private sector - as many types of threat actors are seeking to undermine our society and our way of life. 

Also, organisations need to accept cyber risk is an organisational responsibility, not solely that of the CISO and the security team, and they must make these roles in industry much more attractive. 

Of course, cost is important, and organisations must see investing in security as a critical investment – to simply maintain being in business. Sadly, for some organisations, security and cyber investment is often seen as a luxury, rather than a fixed and necessary cost.

Logicalis: The lack of cyber skills can have a significant impact. For instance, the report shows that 21% of organisations paid between $100,000 and $1 million in ransom for cyber breaches. What does that tell us about the importance of the right team and skills?

Mike Fry: That clearly highlights how mission-critical data is to an organisation. Fundamentally, a business is its data. The key here, is whether you should pay the ransom. And there's lots of debate as to the pros and cons, and there are legalities around that, depending on which global region you reside. 

The reality is, that every organisation will need to make that call in the moment that is specific to its situation at that time. But it does highlight the need for organisations to be cyber resilient, which is different to cyber recovery. Cyber resilience is about accepting an attack will happen and being able to withstand, adapt and recover with minimal impact. Once again, this relies on having the right process, technology and skilled people in place.

Logicalis: The infographic states that 81% of organisations suffered business disruption lasting from a few days to more than a few weeks. How do you interpret that?

Mike Fry: Here lies the real cost of an attack. It isn't just the ransom that might be paid. It's the lost trading time. Just look at the dramatic hit to the bottom line of some major retailers in the UK last year. In addition, you need to factor in the hidden cost of reputational damage and the cost of rebuilding and restoring back to operations, which can take months and even years. 

Logicalis: AI is another major theme in the infographic. How is it impacting the threat landscape?

Mike Fry: AI is rapidly and significantly altering the threat landscape, and threat actors are using AI to accelerate, automate and further industrialise their operations. And there simply aren't enough humans to defend against such attacks. So, whilst AI can be our biggest threat, it's also our biggest asset. We need to augment AI into our security operations to make our humans faster, smarter, and better. 

But at the same time, teams need the training to be able to use these new tools and handle these new threats. Ensuring teams are operating at the correct level can be a challenge for organisations out there, whether it be resource, cost or knowing the right type of skills that need to be addressed.

Logicalis: What’s your view on the role of managed security service providers in addressing these challenges?

Mike Fry: Outsourcing or augmenting your security with specialist and experienced providers gives you instant access to mature processes, stronger talent retention, and reduced budget pressure. It also offers peace of mind - managed security partners reduce the risk and handle the complexity so your organisation can stay protected, and you can focus on what matters.

Growing internal teams may make sense for some organisations, such as large, highly regulated, well-funded global enterprises. But for most, the challenges are becoming simply too hard, which is why they consider partnering with a credible security specialist.

Logicalis: And finally, what’s the biggest benefit of working with a security partner?

Mike Fry: Fundamentally, working with a partner, you are outsourcing the risk. You are still ultimately accountable, but specialists are now responsible. And the peace of mind is real. The stress placed on CISOs, CIOs, IT Directors—they are also very real. Partnering with specialist managed security service providers allows them to focus on the strategic tasks that will accelerate their organisation…..and get a better night's sleep.

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