Looking to the future during Women’s History Month.
By 2031, women are projected to make up 35% of the cybersecurity workforce, doing everything from securing corporate networks to commandeering military defense cybersecurity initiatives.
Since March is National Women’s History Month and March 8 is International Women’s Day, SteelCloud wants to pay homage to women in technology history, as well as the ones making history today.
Women are not newcomers to the industry. They helped shape it.
While it was once fairly rare to see women in technology, they have always been there, shaping the industry. Here are a few examples of women whose impact on the field is still felt today:
- In the 1950s, Ada Lovelace became the world’s first computer programmer of any gender. She masterminded the Ada programming language.
- Grace Hopper’s programming work led to the computer language COBOL in the late 50s, a computer language that dominated for decades and is still in use today.
- At the outset of WWII, actress Hedy Lamar was integral to the development of spread spectrum technology.
- Radia Perlman holds more than 100 patents and invented the ethernet’s “spanning tree protocol”, enabling the creation of huge networks.
Advice from women who claim technology as their field of choice.
From Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg to Susan Kare, the pixel art pioneer behind Apple’s ubiquitous user-friendly icons, women hold every position in the tech field. We recently reached out to SteelCloud’s female experts to get a sense of the careers women are building and the advice they have for others looking to foster careers in technology.
Marketing
Role: Establishing brand awareness, thought leadership and lead generation programs that educate Government and Commercial clients in highly regulated industries on how SteelCloud’s technology automates and remediates cyber policy compliance.
Advice: Get involved with networking organizations that highlight cybersecurity trends and offer mentorship programs. Also be intentional about participating in and volunteering for Women in Tech.
Sales Process Analyst
Role: Managing SteelCloud’s sales data and ensuring its quality and hygiene. Also developing and sharpening processes meant to foster the success of SteelCloud’s sales and support teams which, in turn, encourages the success of the company as a whole.
Advice: Seek mentorship from people who are doing what you’re interested in doing. Be cautious of taking the admin role, even to get your foot in the door. And find people who challenge your biases and assumptions. Always be growing/learning.
Customer Success Manager
Role: Diverse responsibilities including making encryption keys and licenses for SteelCloud’s customers; managing deployment and production adoption for customers; coaching and training all new associates and clients; conducting on-going account meetings to communicate best practices; coordinating with data analyst to make sure sales team is on the same page; and working with QA to make sure licenses are tested and good to go.
Advice: Always seek assistance. Look for a mentor especially if you want to excel in this field. If you have no knowledge, ask for an internship. Never give up. Always invest in yourself. Never be afraid to speak up let someone know how much this means to you and never give up.
Software Engineer
Role: Contributing to the design, development, and maintenance of software products; writing and testing software; troubleshooting issues; and collaborating on finding solutions to complex challenges.
Advice: Know your passion. Seek out mentorship. Pursue opportunities that help grow your path. Network.
Development Manager
Role: Programming and project management, including prioritizing tasks, reviewing all code, troubleshooting, idea generation and coordinating with QA and Product Manager.
Advice: Do not make any long-term sacrifices for the immediately perceived greater good. You deserve better for yourself and, then, for your family.
Inside Sales Representative
Role: Generating a sales pipeline through inbound and outbound leads to create new business opportunities; nurturing sales opportunities from discovery to close; conducting meetings with customers on a daily basis to understand their use case, requirements, and needs; and building and maintaining strong relationships with new and existing customers.
Advice: Never stop learning – be open to change and new ideas, seek help from leadership/mentors, and ask questions. Get out of your comfort zone to learn new skills and understand different processes. Always explore new opportunities and don’t be afraid to take risks.
Marketing and Social Media
Role: Developing and executing organic social media strategies to increase brand awareness, engagement, and drive traffic to SteelCloud’s website; monitoring trends; curating high-quality, engaging content; building and maintaining a social media content calendar; making compliance fun, informative, and engaging!
Advice: Don’t be afraid to try something new. The technology industry can feel overwhelming in its vastness. In reality, that simply means there are so many niche areas waiting for someone with your unique talents.
Quality Assurance Engineer
Role: Examining and testing SteelCloud’s software products; testing and updating STIGs; managing requests for enhancements; and testing with Windows and Linux machines, locally, virtually and remotely.
Make the move to cybersecurity and slay like the women at SteelCloud.
SteelCloud’s team is made up of women and men who are devoted to keeping systems compliant with mandated security protocols so data remains safe. If you or anyone you know is looking for a job in high-tech and cybersecurity, here are some places to start:
- The Women in Technology Career Center lists diverse opportunities from all over the country
- Women in Cybersecurity has their own board with great listings
- SteelCloud is always looking for good people. We are a leading automated compliance software developer for the cybersecurity industry.
