{"id":28257,"date":"2019-09-02T09:21:18","date_gmt":"2019-09-02T13:21:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?post_type=emagazine&p=28257"},"modified":"2022-11-17T03:33:32","modified_gmt":"2022-11-17T08:33:32","slug":"5-women-cybersecurity","status":"publish","type":"emagazine","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/5-women-cybersecurity\/28257\/","title":{"rendered":"Five women leading the way in cybersecurity"},"content":{"rendered":"

As an industry, we still have a long way to go to achieve our balance: research indicates<\/a> that globally, only 11 percent of people working in technical roles in cybersecurity are women. I met five women from Kaspersky to find out what has inspired them during their career journey and what we can do to encourage more girls and women to join our industry.<\/p>\n

Noushin Shabab \u2013 the researcher who\u2019s solving the puzzle of how to stop the next major cyberattack<\/h2>\n
\"Noushin<\/a>

Noushin is a Senior Security Researcher in Kaspersky\u2019s GReAT team, based in Australia.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Elizabeth<\/a>

Elizabeth is a Technical Support Engineer for Kaspersky in the UK.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cCybersecurity is the most exciting part of the technology industries. You\u2019re always one step ahead and I get to use the latest tech, so it\u2019s great if, like me, you\u2019re a fan of all the latest gadgets! My job is always evolving and changing as new products and new cyberthreats come into the world.<\/p>\n

\"Ekaterina<\/a><\/p>\n

Ekaterina is Security Analysis Group Manager for Kaspersky in Russia. \u201cI was working as an application security analyst, finding software vulnerabilities for a mobile operator. I didn\u2019t like finding the same \u2018holes\u2019 day in, day out, so I decided to move into cybersecurity to work on \u2018security by design\u2019 solutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cSecurity is for the people \u2013 to benefit the organization and its systems, and keep everything working. Critical infrastructure \u2013 things like electricity, water and gas that we can\u2019t live without \u2013 it\u2019s all vulnerable to cyberattacks. I\u2019m making the infrastructure more reliable and resilient to attacks, keeping facilities safe and services available.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m motivated by the people and organizations who created the basic knowledge of computer security. Now I have the opportunity to meet the icons that I once gave lectures on when I worked at a university. I really admire Dorothy Denning, who in the 1980s created the basic model for intrusion detection.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ekaterina\u2019s advice\u2026<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe gender imbalance in the workforce is not unique to cybersecurity \u2013 all technology industries have this problem. Many women with a computing education don\u2019t use it. We need to start changing this at a young age.<\/p>\n

\u201cI teach at my children\u2019s school and talk about how exciting cybersecurity is, and I once gave a lesson about programming to eight- and nine-year-old children. The results were very different due to the different ways boys and girls treated the same task: the boys were motivated and were trying to solve all the tasks at once. They got a great result and their certificate. The girls were also motivated, but in a different way \u2013 they went deeper into the topic and asked more questions, thinking more holistically. They got a great result too, but the girls\u2019 analytical approach is a better way to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Catherine Oudot \u2013 the self-made woman who learned to talk tech to sell<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Catherine is Kaspersky\u2019s Head of Small Medium Business Channel in France.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a self-made woman \u2013 with no MBA or master\u2019s degree, which is unusual in France. I\u2019ve worked in technology sales roles for over 20 years but I\u2019m not from a technical background. I gained technical knowledge \u2018in the field\u2019 by sharing with my customers and colleagues.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my first company, I joined a new IT Identity team as a marketing assistant. I didn\u2019t know what a firewall or VPN was, but I was there at the start to grow and learn. My first task was to deliver a new partner program with a focus on lead generation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I told my manager I was worried that I wouldn\u2019t be able to deliver technical messages, she said, \u2018Don\u2019t put the brakes on your career! You have great communication skills, so just keep going.\u2019 She told me to move forward and become a sales manager. It was a kind of liberation! She saw my potential and gave me a chance. She coached me and helped me to grow.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband is my rock. We\u2019ve been married for 23 years and he\u2019s always supported me through all my different roles. He understands when I want to change career because I\u2019m curious and want to discover new things. In a sales role, it\u2019s not always easy because you\u2019re traveling so much for work. When my son was a baby, my husband often took care of him. We completely share family responsibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Catherine\u2019s advice\u2026<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAlways be confident in yourself and believe in what you do. Don\u2019t put limits on things for yourself \u2013 test out what you\u2019re capable of. Talk to different people and take all the chances you have to meet good people, they can help you discover the next opportunity for your career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Irina Bock \u2013 the game-loving, data addict who\u2019s accelerating in digital sales<\/h2>\n
\"Irina<\/a>

Irina is Kaspersky\u2019s eCommerce Director, based in Germany.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a big fan of online MMORPG games like World of Warcraft. You can learn a lot of skills from gaming, like interacting with many people and working together on the same mission. You need to be logical, but also to understand how people may choose to behave.<\/p>\n

\u201cDigital sales is like a game \u2013 there are elements of chance but it\u2019s mainly a lot of strategy. I love to see how my team can change the business of the company. When I see sales numbers growing, it\u2019s the best feeling \u2013 I\u2019m addicted to targets! To be successful in digital sales, you need to love data. For me, it\u2019s like a drug: the more you dig deeper into the numbers, the more you want to continue with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Irina\u2019s advice\u2026<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe equilibrium between genders should not be forced \u2013 it\u2019s just a natural change and the balance is improving. Women have so much to gain! We need more women in cybersecurity to enrich the industry with our characteristics \u2013 like being hard-working and committed to delivering great results. As a woman, you\u2019ll reach a level in your career when you understand that being who you are and doing what\u2019s right is more important than just saying \u2018yes\u2019 to please everyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cMen and women should be equal \u2013 end of discussion. The best result will be when no woman feels that she has less pay or fewer opportunities than a man. That\u2019s a victory. But always focus first on you: ask yourself, \u2018How can I be a better version of myself and improve?'\u201d<\/p>\n

How is Kaspersky furthering opportunities for women in cybersecurity?<\/h2>\n

Kaspersky CyberStarts is a program in Europe which aims to tackle both the skills gap and the gender disparity that exists in the cybersecurity industry. The program talks directly to young women considering their career paths, giving them access to the tools and experience that they need to take their first step into the industry. Download our 2021 report Where are we now: Understanding the evolution of women in technology<\/a> based on a survey of women working in IT and technology in Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific and Latin America.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From finding the next major cyberattack to protecting our critical infrastructure, meet five women who are leading the way in cybersecurity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2521,"featured_media":28258,"template":"","coauthors":[3452],"class_list":{"0":"post-28257","1":"emagazine","2":"type-emagazine","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"emagazine-category-cybersecurity","7":"emagazine-category-women-and-diversity","8":"emagazine-tag-careers","9":"emagazine-tag-diversity","10":"emagazine-tag-women"},"hreflang":[{"hreflang":"x-default","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/5-women-cybersecurity\/28257\/"},{"hreflang":"en-gb","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/5-women-cybersecurity\/20324\/"},{"hreflang":"pt-br","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com.br\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/5-women-cybersecurity\/15435\/"}],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/emagazine\/28257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/emagazine"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/emagazine"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2521"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=28257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}