Sarah Armstrong-Smith, Fujitsu comment on news that a new cybersecurity scheme aims to bring more women into the industry
June 2018 by Sarah Armstrong-Smith, ?Head Continuity & Resilience at Fujitsu UK & Ireland
The chronic shortage of women in the cyber security is starting to be addressed with a new training scheme devised by Protection Group International (PGI), supported by Hawker Chase, a specialist cyber recruitment consultant.
In response to this, Sarah Armstrong-Smith, ?at Fujitsu – a Time Top 50 Employer for Women 2018 – shared her thoughts on why diversity in cybersecurity is critical if the UK is to adequately defend against threats.
Sarah Armstrong-Smith, Head Continuity & Resilience at Fujitsu UK & Ireland:
“As a shortage of women in cybersecurity roles is predominantly down to a lack of awareness of the opportunities that exist and an often flawed perception that you need to be technical to work in a cybersecurity role, the news that a new scheme has been launched to bring more women into the cybersecurity industry is welcomed.
“With hackers becoming more creative and savvy in their approach to cyber-attacks, a cybersecurity team which lacks diversity is more likely to leave a company vulnerable to attacks. Because different groups bring a variety of ideas and ways of thinking, a more diverse and inclusive cybersecurity team will be key in facilitating a broader range of ideas and perspectives about how to prevent an attack from taking place.
“It is only by engaging a diverse array of people in cybersecurity that we can hope to adequately defend the UK.”