Priya PatelCyber Ireland, a representative group for the cyber security sector, has unveiled a new three-year strategy aimed at growing the industry by 2030. The strategy, called the cluster strategy 2024-2027, focuses on four areas: building the community, driving business growth, developing the workforce, and advocacy and promotion.
In recent years, the cyber security sector in Ireland has seen significant growth, with the number of advertised roles increasing from 2,000 to 6,700 between 2019 and 2022. Cyber Ireland predicts a 10% annual growth trajectory, which would lead to the creation of an additional 10,000 jobs in the sector, bringing the total to 17,000. The group also forecasts a €2.5bn contribution to the economy per year.
An Enterprise Ireland-funded report, State of the Cyber Security Sector 2022, found that the sector employs over 7,300 professionals working for nearly 500 companies in Ireland, contributing €1.1bn annually to the economy.
The chairperson of Cyber Ireland, Pat Larkin, highlighted the significant opportunity for growth in the cyber security market, which is estimated to be worth around $200-250bn with a 15% growth rate. Larkin also emphasized the need for collaboration within the industry to capture a greater share of the market.
Cyber Ireland was originally formed to address cyber security skills shortages at the Munster Technological University but has since grown to become a national representative group funded by Enterprise Ireland. The group also organizes the annual Cyber Ireland National Conference (CINC).
Eoin Byrne, the cluster manager for Cyber Ireland, stated that the group’s strategy aims to take the cyber security sector in Ireland to the next level by working with various stakeholders including industry, government, academia, training providers, research organizations, investors, and industry associations.
