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AdaptIQ | Organizational skills gap analysis

Cybersecurity skills
gap analysis

Focus workforce investment on the capability you need. AdaptIQ’s cybersecurity skills gap analysis is designed to compare current skills with project, goal, and mobility needs. Give development and hiring decisions a clear starting point. General availability is coming soon

Assess Your Cyber Workforce Request Early Access
Gaps

Organizational gap analysis concept

Current skills against a defined need

Priorities for development or hiring

Illustrative view • no live data

  • Current capability
  • Target-state needs

From current state to target need

  • Current
  • Target
  • Gaps
Action

Workforce priorities

Define. Compare. Prioritize.

AdaptIQ cybersecurity skills gap analysis current vs target state.

A diagnostic for workforce priorities

What is a cybersecurity skills gap analysis?

A cybersecurity skills gap analysis compares current workforce capability with the skills and competencies the work requires. AdaptIQ’s organizational diagnostic is designed to use a skills ontology to relate that evidence to target-state needs, giving security and HR a basis for development and hiring priorities.

Explore Workforce Intelligence

  • Define the target state

    Make the project, goal, or role requirement clear before deciding which skills the workforce needs.

  • Compare current capability

    Relate available skills evidence to the same requirements. Keep the criteria and evidence limits visible.

  • Prioritize the response

    Connect the capability gap with a workforce decision. Agree what needs investigation, development, or hiring next.

Current state. Target state. Gaps.

How the organizational diagnostic works

Understand a security team skills gap by comparing current capability with a defined need. A skills ontology gives the comparison a shared structure. AdaptIQ is designed around this current-versus-target approach, connecting gaps with priorities for action.

Explore the Skills Ontology

  • Clarify the requirement

    Define the workforce need, relevant roles, and skills criteria. Agree what the target state means for the work.

  • Compare the evidence

    Compare current evidence with the target criteria. Use benchmarking only when the source, method, and context support the comparison.

  • Agree the priorities

    Consider the gap in its operational context. Decide which capability need should inform the next workforce action.

Three lenses. One diagnostic question.

Frame the gap around the workforce need

Use the same current-versus-target comparison through three lenses. Projects, goals and KPIs, and career mobility each define a different need. AdaptIQ’s planned proposition brings these organizational use cases into the skills gap analysis approach.

  • Project-based

    Compare current skills with the capability a defined project requires.

    • Project roles and delivery responsibilities
    • Skills needed for the planned work
    • Gaps to address before delivery decisions

  • Goals and KPIs

    Relate capability needs to agreed goals and the work supporting them.

    • Organizational goals and agreed KPIs
    • Competencies needed to support the goals
    • Evidence for workforce priorities

  • Career mobility

    Compare existing skills with the responsibilities of a target role.

    • Target-role skills and expectations
    • Transferable skills and development needs
    Explore Reskilling

From capability gaps to action

Turn the diagnostic into a response

Skills gap analysis should inform a defined next step. Develop existing capability, hire additional talent, or connect the findings with a wider workforce plan. Use team readiness when the response needs a focused development baseline.

  • Develop the team

    Explore SkillsIQ cybersecurity upskilling to connect development priorities with role-aligned learning and progress reviews.

    Explore cyber upskilling

  • Hire cyber talent

    Explore HiringIQ when the identified workforce need calls for additional talent and skills-based hiring decisions.

    Explore HiringIQ

  • Plan the workforce

    Consider roles, capacity, scenarios, and headcount when the gap informs a broader cyber and IT workforce decision.

    Explore workforce planning

  • Establish team readiness

    Use SkillsIQ for the readiness baseline and learning priorities supporting the chosen development response.

    Explore team readiness

AdaptIQ informs diagnosis and planning. SkillsIQ supports development. HiringIQ supports hiring.

Who organizational gap analysis is for

For leaders diagnosing workforce needs

A rigorous skills gap diagnostic needs shared context. Security leaders define the work and evidence. Workforce leaders consider the operational priority. Strategic HR connects the findings with talent decisions. Agree the target, comparison criteria, and owner before choosing the response.

Explore For Organizations

  • CISOs and security teams

    Define the cyber skills and responsibilities that matter. Keep the diagnostic tied to security work and evidence.

  • Workforce leaders

    Connect capability gaps with project, goal, and mobility needs. Prioritize the workforce question before considering the response.

  • Strategic HR teams

    Bring skills evidence into development, hiring, and internal mobility decisions. Align the target state with organizational priorities.

Coming soon

Explore AdaptIQ ahead of launch

AdaptIQ’s organizational skills gap analysis proposition is being introduced ahead of launch. Request early access to discuss your diagnostic needs and receive relevant availability information.

  • Share the workforce need

    Describe the project, goal, or mobility decision your organization needs the diagnostic to support.

  • Discuss the planned scope

    Explore the current-versus-target approach as product details, analysis scope, and access options are confirmed.

  • Receive launch information

    Register your organization’s interest for relevant updates. Early-access requests do not guarantee immediate platform access.

Request Early Access

Related intelligence and action

Connect the gap with the right route

Use the planning hub for the wider AdaptIQ cluster. Explore intelligence, planning, and ontology detail, then choose the development or hiring route. Individuals can follow the separate Job Seekers assessment route.

Plan Your Cyber Workforce

Compare the AdaptIQ planning capabilities and choose the route that fits your organization’s workforce question.

Explore the planning hub

  • Workforce intelligence

    Explore the wider data and insight context informing organizational workforce decisions.

  • Cyber and IT planning

    Connect the diagnostic with demand, scenarios, headcount, and workforce priorities.

  • Cyber skills ontology

    Understand the skills-and-roles relationships giving the gap comparison a shared structure.

  • Workforce upskilling

    Explore SkillsIQ when the next action is developing capability in your existing team.

  • Hire Cyber Talent

    Explore HiringIQ when additional cyber talent is part of the workforce response.

  • Individual assessment

    Explore your own skills and career development through the Job Seekers assessment route.

Match the scope to the decision

Organization, team, or individual?

Start with the decision you need to make. Organizational gap analysis compares workforce capability with strategic needs. Team readiness informs focused development. An individual assessment supports personal skills and career choices. Choose the route that matches the scope.

Organization

Strategic workforce gaps

Use AdaptIQ’s diagnostic proposition to compare workforce capability with project, goal, or target-role needs and frame priorities.

Team

Team readiness

Use SkillsIQ Cyber Skills Readiness for a development baseline and learning priorities tied to the team’s roles.

Individual

Personal skills needs

Use the Job Seekers Skills Gap Assessment to explore your own skills and the next career development step.

A cybersecurity skills gap analysis compares current workforce capability with the skills and competencies the work requires. It identifies differences between the current state and a defined target state, then gives leaders a basis for setting priorities. AdaptIQ’s organizational diagnostic proposition is designed around this comparison using a skills ontology. The aim is to connect the gap with a planning, development, or hiring decision at workforce level.
To conduct a skills gap analysis, define the workforce need and target skills first. Review current capability using relevant evidence, then compare it with the same criteria. Record the gaps, evidence limits, and priorities for action. A workforce skills gap assessment should keep role expectations and competencies consistent across the comparison. Use the findings to decide what needs closer investigation, development, or hiring, with clear ownership and review points.
A skills gap analysis template for security teams can help organize the work. Record the project, goal, or target role; the skills it requires; current evidence; the difference from the target; and the proposed action. Keep the evidence source, date, and criteria clear. A template structures the comparison, while the quality of the diagnostic depends on the target definition and evidence used. AdaptIQ’s proposition connects that organizational comparison with skills ontology context.
The three lenses are project-based analysis, goals and KPIs, and career mobility. Project-based analysis considers the skills needed for a defined delivery requirement. Goals and KPIs connect capability needs with agreed organizational outcomes. Career mobility compares current skills with the responsibilities of a target role. Each lens uses the same current-versus-target question with a different workforce need. AdaptIQ’s planned proposition introduces these lenses as organizational use cases for the diagnostic.
AdaptIQ’s planned general availability date is November 19, 2026. This page introduces the organizational skills gap analysis proposition ahead of that planned launch. Select Request Early Access to register your organization’s interest and describe the project, goal, or mobility question you need to support. The team can discuss requirements and share relevant access and launch information as it is confirmed. Early-access requests do not guarantee immediate access. Explore AdaptIQ takes you to the platform entry for the latest access information.
Organizational skills gap analysis compares workforce capability with an employer’s project, goal, or role requirements. An individual skills assessment focuses on one person’s skills and career development needs. The scope and decision are different, even when both involve skills evidence. Use this AdaptIQ page for strategic workforce diagnosis. Individuals can follow the Skills Gap Assessment route under Job Seekers to explore their own skills and next career step. Keep personal development decisions connected with the individual’s goals and context.
Start with the workforce priority the gap supports. Use Cyber and IT Workforce Planning when you need to consider roles, capacity, scenarios, and a wider roadmap. Use SkillsIQ team readiness and upskilling when the next response is focused development. Explore HiringIQ when additional talent is needed. For different-role development, consider Reskill and Redeploy. AdaptIQ supports the organizational diagnosis and planning context; the employer owns the response, resources, and implementation. Review progress against the agreed need and evidence as the work changes.

Frequently asked questions

Skills gap analysis
FAQs

Answers about the diagnostic, how to conduct a skills gap analysis, template guidance, and the three organizational lenses.

Your next workforce capability decision

See the gap. Prioritize the next move.

Explore AdaptIQ, or request early access to discuss your organizational skills gap analysis needs. General availability is coming soon.

Assess Your Cyber Workforce Request Early Access
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