This month as we observe Women’s History Month to celebrate the vital role of women in history, I’m excited to kick off our new series on Women in Cybersecurity. I’m excited about this program to connect women in the industry, and to spotlight their stories, with the hope to increase representation and encourage women in the field.
In this blog post, I’ll share my perspective on being a woman in cybersecurity and describe our plans to spotlight women and their careers in the industry.
Why Do We Need Another Women’s Forum?
I have to admit upfront that while I’m excited about working with my ESG colleagues on this program, I don’t usually gravitate toward events with a focus on gender. I’m confident in my skills and achievements. I want to be recognized on a level playing field. I am comfortable competing with men for jobs or for recognition. I don’t want to be selected for something based on my gender because of someone’s requirement to recognize more females.
But let’s face it, women are underrepresented in our field. According to the 2021 (ISC)² Cybersecurity Workforce Study, women make up just 25% of the cybersecurity workforce. And I can bet that most women in our field can share stories about being discouraged from advancing, or feeling like they have to work much harder because we are women.
It’s inspiring to me to hear about the jobs and accomplishments of other women. I also enjoy connecting with other women and finding mentors to be my sounding boards, helping inform my decisions and guide my path.
Simple Goals: Spotlighting Women in Cybersecurity and Creating a Supportive Community
In the spirit of Women’s History Month, this program is meant to spotlight women in cybersecurity and celebrate their achievements and contributions. We’re looking forward to interviewing and sharing the stories of women in the field. Stay tuned to hear from successful security researchers, VCs, product and strategy leaders at leading security vendors, CISOs running security programs at top companies, professors, and more.
We’ll also host quarterly live panel discussions and share resources.
Join the Community and Get Involved
At ESG, we always ask clients for feedback and how we can help them, so let us know how we can help you get the most out of the upcoming content that we can provide. What would you like to see? Would you like to share your story? What has been helpful to inspire you in your career? Do you have cybersecurity role models whom you’d like us to feature? How can we make a difference in encouraging more women in our field?
We’re also open to ideas to grow the program and broaden our audience so we can share inspiring stories of our accomplishments as women in cybersecurity.
Sign up here to follow the series, and let us know your ideas on how we can spotlight women in cybersecurity and help encourage more women in our industry.
