Close the door. There is no more room. We resolved the cybersecurity skill gap problem, and it feels damn good! Well, maybe not, but is it really that hard? There are so many smart people out there that would do very well in InfoSec—do they even know this is an option?
Close the door. There is no more room. We resolved the cybersecurity skill gap problem, and it feels damn good! Well, maybe not, but is it really that hard? There are so many smart people out there that would do very well in InfoSec—do they even know this is an option?
Would you dream of going to the moon if you never looked up to the sky? And even if you did, would you think that the dream could come true if no one like you has never gone there before, and nobody told you that you could become an astronaut if you so wanted?
What is the connection between going to the moon and the InfoSec and technology industry?
Maybe, if you cannot see it, there's a good chance that you are not part of one of the many underrepresented groups. Perhaps you were always told to look up at the sky and people that look like you went there and you thought you could be one of them if you only wanted to pursue that dream.
We need to let everyone know that there is room for everyone in this industry, but it will not happen just by talking about it—if that was the case, we probably would have resolved the problem by now.
We need to walk this talk more than what we are already doing. Thankfully, we are taking some steps but, it is obviously not enough—by far, not enough. We need to open those doors, go out there, and create opportunities. We need to define programs that work, become mentors, role models, and allies. We need to invest in a diverse and inclusive future because it is the right thing to do — because it is the best thing to do.
If you just want to listen to the business talk, well, diversity is an investment, and there are valuable people out there that we need to go get. They are:
Let’s all do something, starting with listening to this conversation and following some tangible actions. The reasons are clear. The actions are feasible. The resources are available (see below). And, the time is now.
Guests
Yolanda Craig, VP, Cyber Strategy, Everwatch Solutions | Former Manager (Cyber Information Technology), US DoD
Sandra Wheatley, SVP, Marketing, Threat Intelligence and Influencer Communications at Fortinet
This Episode’s Sponsors
Bugcrowd: https://itspm.ag/itspbgcweb
Devo: https://itspm.ag/itspdvweb
Resources (courtesy of Yolanda! 🙏)
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