Cybersecurity Leadership

More women are entering cybersecurity, but they still struggle to reach senior positions, pointing to the need to break the glass ceiling.

Cybersecurity leaders should strive to reward high-performing teams that are powered by high levels of inclusion.

The Aspen Institute has some concrete suggestions to increase diversity in cybersecurity, including taking away the burden of the cost of certification, something larger companies could certainly do; establishing partnerships with organizations that can bring in more diverse candidates; and creating mentorship programs that focus on diverse people, among other things.

Recently, the National Security Agency (NSA) teamed up with Bowie State University, a Historically Black University in Bowie, Maryland, for an 8-week intensive program focused on diversifying the cybersecurity profession and engaging African American students at HBCUs.

Attacks on cybersecurity are increasing in scale and severity. The lack of diversity in cybersecurity blinds the industry to future threats and hinders it from coming up with more agile ideas to face them. 

While other professions are making up ground, cybersecurity still lags behind in female representation, thanks to a lack of respect and inclusion.

The cybersecurity sector needs 3.4 million people to fill its skills gap. The sector should make training available to those from underrepresented groups.

Three observations about our industry that might help demystify security for women entrants.

There is often a misconception that cyber security jobs are very technical. In fact, there are a wide variety of different jobs roles requiring a variety of skillsets, including communication specialists, behavioural scientists, lawyers and graphic designers.