This article originally appeared in the Knox News Sentinel on October 8, 2025.
By Ozlem Kilic, Vice Provost and Founding Dean
Cybersecurity threats have moved from the shadows of the internet to shape the global economy, endanger national security, and reach into the daily lives of people from all corners of the world. In just 15 years, the estimated global economic impact of cybercrime has grown from under $1 trillion to nearly $10 trillion annually¹. If cybercrime were a national economy, it would rank third in the world. Only the United States and China are larger.
The same forces fueling our progress ‒ digital transformation, broadband expansion, the Internet of Things, and now, artificial intelligence – are also driving this surge. Each innovation brings opportunity but also opens new doors for bad actors. Sophisticated criminals, state-sponsored adversaries, and organized groups are targeting our most critical assets. For Tennessee, that means not only financial transactions and personal data but also the lifelines of our economy such as energy grids, advanced manufacturing systems, health care networks, and digital commerce.
This is why the race for cyber resilience has become a global competition. Nations are pouring resources into cybersecurity, treating it as both economic strategy and national defense. Our nation is no exception.
Cybersecurity jobs are unfilled across the U.S.
Yet the bigger threat is that the demand for cyber talent far outpaces supply. According to CyberSeek, there were more than half a million unfilled cybersecurity jobs in the United States last year, with nearly 9,000 in Tennessee². ISC2, the world’s largest association of cybersecurity professionals, found the national workforce gap has reached a record high despite steady growth in cyber education programs³.
The challenge is not simply about numbers. It is about pathways. Many cybersecurity jobs require years of experience, advanced credentials, or insider knowledge of federal systems. Entry level candidates often face closed doors due to lack of practical experience, even as employers report urgent need. The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics’ 2024 Cybersecurity Workforce Data Initiative confirmed this mismatch. While degrees and certificates in cybersecurity-related programs more than doubled between 2012 and 2022, employers still struggle to connect graduates with open roles⁴.
Tennessee is uniquely positioned to help close this gap
Our state sits at the nexus of national energy and security infrastructure. Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a global leader in nuclear and quantum research. The Tennessee Valley Authority manages one of the nation’s most complex power grids. Our manufacturing and logistics sectors form the backbone of American supply chains. All of these depend on secure, resilient digital systems. And all of them need skilled defenders.
So how do we forge the “weakest link” into the “strongest defense”? It begins with reimagining education and access. We must broaden cybersecurity pathways, from high school career academies to university programs, from technical certificates to advanced degrees. We must also embrace the breadth of backgrounds that fuel creative problem-solving because a workforce that reflects society will better protect society.
At the University of Tennessee’s College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies (CECS), we are working across disciplines to build that pipeline. Students in fields as varied as health sciences, business, and the arts are learning how cyber risk touches their professions. They are combining technical skills with ethics, teamwork, and adaptability, uniquely human strengths and qualities that complement technological capabilities.
Cybersecurity threats have long moved from being just a technical problem. This is more than ever a people problem. And in Tennessee, it can also be a people solution. If we invest in our cyber workforce now, Tennessee’s future will be defined not by its vulnerabilities but by the strength of those who keep it secure.
Footnotes
- Cybersecurity Ventures, Cybercrime Report 2024.
- CyberSeek, U.S. Cybersecurity Workforce Supply/Demand Heatmap (2023).
- ISC2, Cybersecurity Workforce Study 2023.
- National Science Foundation, Cybersecurity Workforce Data Initiative: Supply and Demand Report (2024).