Until very recently, cybersecurity was almost an entirely male-dominated world. In recent years, there has been some solid progress – but there also remains lots of work to be done.
In 2022, 25% of cybersecurity jobs were held by women globally; up by 5% since 2019, but still a long way from true equity. Only 17% of CISO positions in Fortune 500 companies are held by women; just 85 out of 500 positions.
The industry can do better. It’s high time for cybersecurity enterprises to welcome more women in cybersecurity professions – and here at SafeGuard Cyber, we are doing our part to bring this reality into being with our Vision and Voice: Women in Cybersecurity community.
The most progressive businesses are embracing talented women professionals not only because it’s the right thing to do – but because it’s good for business.
Valerie Abend, Accenture’s Senior Managing Director and Global Cyber Strategy Lead, and also the ACF Women’s Council Executive Sponsor shared the firm's recent research findings with our Women in Cybersecurity community at a networking event last month.
In their research, Accenture found:
“...A culture of equality—a workplace environment that helps everyone advance to higher positions — is a powerful multiplier of innovation and growth. In fact, employees’ innovation mindset is five times higher in the most-equal cultures than in the least equal ones.”
Senior cybersecurity executives report that women in leadership positions demonstrate higher emotional intelligence. This means they help create a culture that enables companies to build relationships with their customers and employees, bringing people together and encouraging a “much-needed good risk-taking.”
Various groups and businesses are taking action to foster the future of cybersecurity for women, including:
At SafeGuard Cyber, we too work to empower and sponsor up-and-comers in cybersecurity with our Vision and Voice: Women in Cybersecurity program.
Vision and Voice is an inclusive community highlighting women in cybersecurity, advancing women's careers and placement in the industry through greater representation.
We’re supporting the vision of leveling the playing field for women who want to advance in the cybersecurity industry, furthering our goal of safeguarding human communication.
The platform we've built empowers innovative companies to use digital communication tools securely and with compliance to get to the top or remain at the top of their industries.
We need to increase the representation of women holding key cybersecurity roles. This entails confronting hard truths and opening necessary conversations to provide the support that will empower more women to contribute to the industry.
As part of the Vision and Voice program, we’re inviting cybersecurity executive leaders to join us in person and to bring a +1 from the next generation to in-person networking events throughout 2023. We call these events "Empower the Next," after the stated goal of helping today's women leaders build, fortify, and grow each successive generation of female talent entering the workforce. Networking events typically target executive leaders, but staying so insular won't push progress forward.
Our Empower the Next events feature a “rapid-fire” panel with cyber leaders from a given area, and offer a chance for up-and-coming analysts and engineers to learn from leaders' experiences and build their networks to advance their career opportunities.
Join the community today and see how Vision and Voice opens opportunities for equality, inclusivity, and progress for women in cybersecurity.
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