Women in IT Security

"I was once told that I may not be a vulnerability researcher. That's something that I know, I'm never going to tell my team — not today, not ever — because it affected me as an individual who was trying to build a career in cybersecurity. I always come up with a plan to ensure that I am providing them with the resources, with the technical skillsets or training that is needed for them to achieve what they want to achieve.”

Fifteen years ago, working in as an intelligence analyst covering transportation issues for Air Force Special Operations Command, Stephynie Velez saw a growing threat space across her supply chain. “It was a time when there weren’t cyber threat analysts — they weren’t sure if you needed to take cyber personnel and make them learn intelligence analysis or the other way around." Velez was the other way around.

For the Seattle Public Schools chief information security officer, her passion is clear: "small businesses and nonprofits, and in particular, schools. They’re in the same boat. They may be larger, but they don't have the resources. They need something that's easy, inexpensive, and straightforward.”

“Partnering with ambassadors allows us to tailor content for regions and cultures, as well as threat trends targeting specific job functions or locations,” said the head of security awareness at Equinix. “To keep ambassadors engaged and motivated, I developed recognition and certification plans that give them visibility at the corporate level for all their efforts, and provide certificates they can put on their resumes for external recognition.”

“If the public demands a privacy relationship, and companies understand the responsibility of protecting that data, and there's an accountability play, then we can all understand and work together to get a better digital society,” said the managing director and co-founder of Gula Tech Adventures.

“Our unique perspectives as women can lead to the best solutions — especially when we push boundaries," said the senior cyber security engineer at Mitre Corporation.

“Every single person, whether they know it or not, is walking around with a million-dollar cell phone and a million-dollar laptop,” due to the data they come in contact with, said Waseem, a passionate privacy advocate, said the director of cyber education for the National Cyber Security Alliance. “And if you understand why your information is worth hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars to other people, then you are more apt to protect that data.”

While her formal education focused on business and psychology, Shira Rubinoff understood early on that there’s a clear intercept between psychology and technology: the human factor.