March is a meaningful month for me personally as we honor Women's History Month and International Women's Day.
Some of the most powerful role models in my own life are the women who raised me and the community of women who've provided the support and encouragement that continues to empower me to believe that I can be anything I aspire to.
I've had the great fortune of working with many wonderful women throughout my career and one of the things I find so often to be true is that the path to a career in security does not have to be a linear one.
These cyberdefenders work every day to keep our world safe and also support and mentor other women to create their own trails and pathways.
I invite you to follow them on LinkedIn and attend the Women in Cybersecurity conference presentations and RSA Conference, where many of these amazing women will share their stories over the next few months.
A huge opportunity still exists to welcome more women into cybersecurity.
2 These are roles that women can help fill and triumph in, but we must lay the groundwork to make such roles an attractive and available career option, and to help change the perception of what it takes to succeed.
While there's been steady progress over the past few years, women fill just 21% of cybersecurity leadership roles and only 17% of board member positions in cybersecurity.
Just 44% of women who responded said they feel adequately represented in the industry.
It's up to us to shift the view that cybersecurity is too demanding-especially as AI can help to alter this balance.
Another initiative we support through partnerships offers training to women interested in switching careers or upskilling their cybersecurity knowledge through programs like WiCyS and Executive Women's Forum.
We also partner with global education programs, including CyberShikshaa in India and WOMCY in Latin America, to empower women and minorities in cybersecurity.
These programs and initiatives have a tremendous impact on encouraging more girls to consider careers in cybersecurity and getting more women to join the cybersecurity workforce.
Among other benefits, they help girls and women build confidence, meet female cybersecurity role models, develop or enhance their skills, and gain experience to add to their resumes.
To further develop women's careers, Microsoft Philanthropies and Women in Cloud jointly sponsor the Women in Cloud Cybersecurity Scholarship to provide women with structured skills development, certification opportunities, and employability readiness coaching.
The momentum is due in part to community-wide efforts to increase the number of women and diverse employees in cybersecurity roles.
Community organizations like Blacks in Cybersecurity and WiCyS play a crucial role in providing pipelines for marginalized groups to enter the cybersecurity field.
According to a study from Utica University, women with their unique perspective also have strong analytical and problem-solving skills, which are essential for identifying and addressing security threats, and tend to have a more risk-averse approach, which can help to reduce the likelihood of human error in security operations.
Let's continue to work for more representation in cybersecurity by forging new paths with more allies.
4Why we need more women in cybersecurity TechBeacon.
This Cyber News was published on www.microsoft.com. Publication date: Sat, 09 Mar 2024 15:43:05 +0000