A few weeks ago, I spoke with Derek Johnson from SC Media about my experiences early on in the security industry – good and bad. While some of these moments were difficult, all of them were formative and helped me better understand the current state of the security community and industry.

We are blessed with some amazing groups that support diversity in information security, including but not limited to, Women in CyberSecurity, Black Girls Hack, and Women in Security and Privacy (WISP). I spent time with many of these groups early in my career, and they helped me feel like I was part of a community whose members looked like me and had some of the same experiences I have as a woman in security.

Diversity Makes Security Teams More Effective

As a community and industry, we need to give more support to diversity and to individuals who have different perspectives. Why? Because at the end of the day, we face attackers looking for any way possible to breach your organization. Part of finding and stopping them is seeing things from a point of view that is often different from our own. Unique perspectives in this industry are an imperative for us to understand and keep up with attackers, and that is what diversity brings to this field – diversity in thought, in experience, in perspective.

Announcing Forrester’s Security And Risk Scholarship With WISP

I am thrilled to announce that Forrester is partnering with WISP to bring four individuals to Forrester’s Security & Risk Forum this year. These individuals will attend the event in person in Washington, DC, or through the digital experience, hearing about the most cutting-edge security research in the industry. This includes the following:

  • Free admission to Forrester’s Security and Risk Forum in Washington, DC, and online.
  • Access to over 25 talks on topics in security and risk, including ML, Zero Trust, ransomware, and more.
  • One-on-one mentorship sessions with Forrester analysts on security and career paths.
  • Admission to the Women’s Leadership Forum, an exclusive event for women leaders in security.
  • An opportunity to network with one another and with attendees, including CISOs from some of the largest firms in the world.

We recommend that diverse candidates looking to break into security, learn more about the field, and build their network apply.

Please go to the WISP website to apply and share with other individuals who may wish to attend!