Although the world seems to be more aware of gender inequality in the workplace, things like a lack of opportunities for women or unequal payment are still present in almost every company worldwide. The cybersecurity space is no different, and that will be the focus of our discussion today. 

In this episode, Amanda Lee Keammerer, Founder and CEO of Javilud LLC, comes up with a deep conversation about gender inequality in cybersecurity with five unique and super talented women with different backgrounds, experiences, and journeys into the industry. 

Participating with us today is Annalise Buonya, a leader in cyber security who placed top 25 last year in the Cyber Wraith Tournament. 

From OneLogin, a company built to create an identity & access management solution as easy to use as the cloud applications businesses depend upon, we welcome four participants: Niamh Muldoon, Data Protection Officer; Rachel Ward, Security Technical Program Manager; Vanessa Pegueros, Chief Trust and Security Officer; and Kathy Ahuja, Vice President, Global Compliance and Information Technology. 

Resources:

You can visit Javilud LLC website: https://javilud.com/

and OneLogin website: https://www.onelogin.com/

Or connect on LinkedIn with:

Amanda L. Keammerer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keammerer/

Niamh Muldoon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niamh-vianney-muldoon-b2174853/

Rachel Ward: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-perey-ward/

Kathy Ahuja: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathy-a-8878155/

Full Episode Breakdown:

1:59 – Amanda introduces today’s guest to the show. 

3:14 – Annalise, Niamh, Rachel, Vanessa, and Kathy talk about what got them into cybersecurity. 

11:35 – Our guests talk about building a culture and an environment in cybersecurity that is friendly to women. 

16:11 – Amanda and our guests explore the reasons why the industry demands high expertise levels for women. 

21:43 – Our guests talk about what keeps them pushing forward in an industry that has never been too friendly with women.

27:54 – Kathy talks about the challenges women usually face when offering technical solutions in their companies.

31:37 – Amanda and the guests discuss about the gaps in the workplace. Payment, power, opportunities gap, to name a few, and about the importance of finding mentors and sponsors.

32:52 – What are the differences between mentorship and sponsorship, and what are the different advantages they can offer to women in the cybersecurity industry.

38:51 – About how the pandemic affected the industry, and what security issues companies ignored for years that working from home highlighted. 

44:52 – What is the best way to communicate jobs opportunities to high school students. What is the correct language companies should use to communicate with them?

51:04 – Our guests describe how an ideal work environment should be. They talk about the importance of respecting and encouraging curiosity and how vital it is to work in a place where asking questions and questioning old procedures is not punished. 

55:39 – Amanda and our guests discussed the best practices to stay sharp in an industry that grows and evolves constantly.