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Paving the Way: Interviews from Top Women in Information Security

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PAVING THE WAY

Strong, empowered, and savvy. A few words to describe the remarkable women featured in this article. They are true leaders and their many contributions are moving the needle on encouraging young girls and women to join the industry. We asked them to share their experiences, successes, and challenges.

How did you become interested in Information Security?
Susan: I had two amazing mentors in my career - my uncle who was a master electrician and my 6th grade math and science teacher. They both greatly encouraged me to follow my passions in technology. When I was in high school, computer classes were just starting and they became my favorite classes, prompting me to follow this path into college. I began my Computer Science degree from UMass Lowell in 1981, a few years after the program was founded. The program itself was amazing, the professors treated the women as equals and encouraged us to succeed. I was able to associate myself with other women in the program, some with whom I am still friends today, and gained confidence by forming these tight bonds. Back then, it was amazing for me to be a maverick, and as a woman, to have a non-conventional career.
Nadya: I came to the United States when I was twenty and continued my path as a pianist, getting a Masters degree in piano performance from The New England Conservatory of Music. I went on to get my MBA and Master of Information Systems from Boston University. After a brief job as a programmer, I joined Booz Allen Hamilton where I quickly grew to the management level focusing on building and delivering cybersecurity services.
Deborah: When I was selling the first edition MAC and PC computers, I loved it and knew I wanted to work in technology. I then moved from computer sales to actually working within IT environments. I worked at a law firm in Boston and installed the first local area network, which completely revolutionized the way the firm operated. This really excited me and confirmed my love for technology, and the impact it has on business.
Heather: I was interested in science and the development of scientific ideas early on and received my Masters in History of Science at Harvard. When the dot com boom came along, I started working in IT support roles. I might not have gone into information security if there had not been a merger at one of my previous organizations. During the merger, the Information Security Officer left, and the company was not prepared to hire externally. I interviewed for the position, and went from being in charge of the help desk and the security administration team, to taking on the role as Information Security Officer. Although it was a steep learning curve, I had support of the organization which helped me succeed.

Why do you think there is a lack of women in security?
Susan: I think there is a lack of awareness for both young girls and women about what it means to work in technology. I speak at conferences and workshops, most recently a Boston University summer camp, focused on high school girls interested in STEM. I share the exciting things I have done in my career to encourage them to pursue their interests. I think that other women in STEM professions should encourage young girls as well. One excellent example is the actress Danica McKellar, who played the Winnie character on the television show “The Wonder Years”, and went on to receive a mathematics degree in college. Her book, Math Doesn’t Suck, teaches the value of confidence for middle school girls interested in math and is a great contribution to growing STEM interests. I also believe that women need to be aware of opportunities for them to go back to school and explore different IT careers, because it is never too late to get into the industry.
Deborah: Having two young girls, I witnessed first-hand that there is not enough emphasis on girls in STEM classes. One of my girls has a higher aptitude for math, yet she was not encouraged by teachers to join the computer science elective, a group that is predominately male. Even with small increases in women entering the field, biases continue to exist and girls are not socialized into technology-related pursuits.
Heather: When I started in Information Security there were certainly not as many women as there are today, something that might have been influenced by many of first generation information security practitioners having military backgrounds. I also see that the “geek” culture fosters the male-only stereotype, which women might not want to be a part of. This goes for the male-dominated video gaming culture as well.
Joyce: There are many reasons, beginning with young girls not being encouraged to excel in STEM subjects and continuing through conscious and unconscious bias in the hiring process and workplace. Women of all ages are often discouraged from taking technical roles. I was speaking with a young, very bright woman recently who said, “I have an opportunity to go into IT, but people keep telling me that InfoSec is boring, so I’m afraid to go into it.” The reality is, there is nothing further from the truth. Information Security has one of the broadest spectrum of roles and responsibilities. I know many bright women that are highly technical cybersecurity experts as well as those with related roles involving IT Risk, Business Continuity, Governance, Compliance and Privacy.

What can we do to fix this?
Susan: We need to show that IT can be a rewarding career that involves helping other people. This aspect is very innate to women, and it is important to show that we are not just going in and writing a computer program or answering calls at a help desk, but we are actually making a difference in the lives of our end users. We need women to understand what is behind IT job descriptions because there is such a wide open area to be explored and right now one of the best areas for people to get into.
Nadya: While there are definitely fewer women than men on panels at security conferences, it is probably not biased because it reflects the general demographic of the industry. That said, we need to increase the number of women who are visible at these conferences to inspire more women to participate.
Heather: I think organizations with college intern programs can help spark young women’s interest in information security and technical disciplines. I have had female interns for the last three years and see that more and more women are showing interest in these programs. Especially in healthcare right now, there are some great opportunities, and I’m happy to see young women stepping up to the challenge.
Joyce: I focus on the 10% of women that are already in the industry by helping companies to develop women leaders and keep them from opting out of senior positions. The EWF Leadership Journey equips women with skills and competencies to lead at senior levels and focuses on developing the self-awareness, personal capacity and resilience necessary to flourish in these critical roles. Companies that are most successful in advancing and retaining women have a commitment from the top to invest in them early on in their careers and drive down the message that sponsoring women is part of every managers responsibility, not something extra they have to do. Women can’t promote themselves, so sponsorship is a key ingredient to achieving gender balance in senior roles.

What about the lack of minorities?
Deborah: My only experience with minorities in security is through hiring for my own department, where I see the major problem as the lack of minority applicants. Minorities with strong STEM skills are not guided into areas of technology and there are statistics to prove this. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the American workforce which is 47% female, 16% Hispanic, 12% Black and 12% Asian, just 1% of tech staff are Black and 2% Hispanic.
Joyce: Many companies are just checking the boxes and forming Employee Resource Groups (ERG), but not taking the next steps to truly engage and develop the high potentials in their LGBT, Veterans, Hispanic, or African American communities. We encourage bringing ERG leaders together to build best practices and relationships with each other, as well as assigning executive sponsors who may not be part of that population.

What challenges have you overcome?
Susan: Throughout my career I’ve had a reputation for being helpful to everybody, even difficult people, and I believe I’ve been successful because of this positive attitude. While I have encountered some challenging men, I always look beyond them and remind myself that my main goal is to help advance technology. By showing people that I do not let little things bother me, as well as my long-standing career experience, I have earned respect and leveraged this to pass the torch to other women.
Nadya: Cybersecurity is a huge challenge for society. Everyone who deals with technology is responsible for cybersecurity but the knowledge resides in the heads of the few. I have the privilege of educating technology practitioners in utilities whose jobs involve security, but they are new to it. Being able to get this knowledge to the right people makes a tremendous impact.
Deborah: There are assumptions that women are not as technically savvy as men. My background and experience is on the technical side, from desktop to network admin roles. Often, I have to over emphasize the technical part of my resume due to this natural assumption that men are innately more technical.
Heather: In high school, I was one of the top students in Chemistry class, which positioned me to take a competitive exam that was only offered to a few students. My teacher hosted a study group for the exam and made a point to tell me that he didn’t know if I would want to be in the group based on the fact that only boys would be participating. He said I was doing as well as the boys, but made me feel it would not be appropriate since I would be the only girl, so I did not participate. It wasn’t until several years later that I realized and regretted how easily I had let him talk me out of the opportunity.

What advice do you have for other women?
Susan: All organizations should have forums for women to get together and discuss any issues they may have. From my experience, having some sort of internal or networking group helps boost one another. I also think that companies should sponsor women-focused groups by hosting events, providing resources, and encouraging their own employees to join. When working at iRobot, they encouraged me to join the Society of Women Engineers, a national organization over 50 years old. I have been a member since 2005. I am also a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Women in Engineering organization. I also encourage women to keep up with technology by taking classes and seminars (not necessarily having to pursue a degree). I have chosen to further my technology education, research and teaching, by pursuing a Doctorate of Science in Cybersecurity, a very crucial technological discipline. There are several women in my cohort, though we are still a minority.
Deborah: My advice for other women is to work smart and take risks, especially when you are younger. Take risks that you aren’t sure will work out, those are the risks that can move you ahead quicker. Be confident in saying yes to all opportunities, then figure out how to do it once you are in the job or project. Just go for it! Make sure you have a strong sense of yourself and surround yourself with people who you can count on and they can count on you. Women should also think gender-neutral and not make the mistake of feeling that it is “us” versus “them”. Lastly, women have to help other women – nobody reaches the top without the help and support of others.
Heather: Don’t let anyone tell you or make you feel like it is not your club. Don’t be overly sensitive to how you are perceived or whether you “belong”.
Joyce: Many women think they have to lose their identity as a woman and be a “man with a skirt on”. That is not true. Women need to stand in their own power and accentuate their strengths. They need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, which includes taking risks and speaking up. It also includes actively seeking mentors and sponsors. A mentor is someone who you tell the good, bad, and ugly to, and someone who shares their expertise with you. A sponsor is an influential person in your organization who has your back and can help you with a raise, promotion, and other development opportunities. The more sponsors you have, the better you position yourself in the organization.
Finally, as Madeline Albright says, “There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” I think that paying it forward is huge and that you truly reap what you sow. It is important that women “lift as they rise” so that as they mature, they have a legacy of being a leader dedicated to developing the future generation of thought leaders. That is what I am passionate about achieving.

 

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