The Cybersecurity SKA Gap

What Our Cybersecurity Feasibility Study Revealed

In our ongoing mission to advance the discipline of cybersecurity architecture and engineering, ISAUnited's TRC conducted a Cybersecurity Feasibility Study focused on professional competency, role clarity, and talent development within the industry. One of the most striking discoveries was the lack of a universally accepted understanding of Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities (SKAs) across both academic and professional sectors.

Despite decades of security practice and thousands of certifications issued, the study revealed that SKAs are often:

• Undefined or buried in job descriptions without structure

• Confused with task checklists or tool proficiencies

• Ignored entirely in formal training and evaluation pipelines

Today, we’re throwing darts at a board and hoping the SKAs stick. This lack of intentionality is not just inefficient—it’s dangerous.

This gap is more than a language problem—it’s a strategic risk. When organizations can’t define what engineers and architects should know or be able to do, they rely too heavily on vendor training, ad hoc experience, or the illusion of certification.

TRC responded by developing formal SKA Principles under our Professional Models for Cybersecurity Engineers and Cybersecurity Architects. These principles are not theoretical—they’re grounded in systems engineering, strategic design, and implementation discipline. Most importantly, they align to our core philosophy: Clarity. Discipline. Practicality.

We believe the industry cannot move forward unless we define what makes someone qualified to design or build secure systems. The SKA Principles framework is our answer to that call.