Women's History Month 2023
As I reflect on Women’s History Month 2023, we’ve done much to recognize talented women from Palo Alto Networks and beyond – spotlighting the exceptional women of JAPAC, sharing stories from our partners and Cyber Scholars from the Cyber STARS initiative, celebrating that we joined the California Equal Pay Pledge, and I was honored to be recognized among other brilliant women leaders for the 2023 SIA Women in Security Forum Power 100.
Educating for an Inclusive and Diverse Workforce
While I am proud of all the work my team and I do – from industry-leading threat research to helping organizations around the world protect themselves from the most sophisticated cyber adversaries, and so much more – a part of my role that I significantly value is educating on cybersecurity across a variety of audiences. Studies have shown the global cybersecurity workforce gap is approximately 3.4 million people, and in 2022 women held 25% of the cybersecurity jobs globally. Educating and inspiring the next generation of cyber leaders is key in attracting interest from those early in their careers, academics in higher education, K-12 students and even Boards and C-suites.
At Palo Alto Networks, we support and have created educational programs that can make a difference for all ages, genders, skill levels and backgrounds. Innovation needs diversity of thought and experience, and we are committed to building an inclusive and diverse cyber workforce. In the spirit of Women’s History Month, I took a step back to reference media coverage featuring some of the strong voices of our influential women. These women are truly making a difference in the cybersecurity space and work tirelessly to make each day safer and more secure than the one before, all while inspiring the next-generation of cyber professionals.
Voices of the Women of PANW
Hear from some of the leading Palo Alto Networks women in cybersecurity, featured in top-tier publications:
“At the foundation of cybersecurity is the need to understand your risks and how to minimize them. Individuals and organizations often think about risk in terms of what they’re trying to protect… What’s often missing is a comprehensive approach to risk management and a strategy that considers more than just data.”
- Dr. May Wang, CTO of IoT Security at Palo Alto Networks, in CIO.com
“Having responded to some of the largest security incidents during my career, I’ve found that while awareness is growing, cybersecurity still isn’t always top-of-mind unless an organization has suffered a major breach… BODs must prioritize cybersecurity to guarantee the safety of their organization…”
- Wendi Whitmore, Senior Vice President of Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks, in Forbes
“Ransomware gangs target victims using these tactics with the intention of pressuring them to pay more and with greater urgency… Fighting back against the challenge of productized ransomware requires a multifaceted cyber threat engagement strategy. Maintaining good general cyber hygiene and implementing security awareness training are the foundational starting points…”
- Anna Chung is a Principal Researcher at Palo Alto Networks Unit 42, in TechRadar
“... Organisations across Australia are becoming more aware of cyber risks and the importance of educating staff, their customers and even students on how to mitigate these risks. Many companies are incorporating cyber security as part of their workplace curriculum and regularly test the effectiveness of that training, for example, via phishing email testing.”
- Sarah Sloane, head of government affairs and public policy at Palo Alto Networks, in CIO.com
Proud to Be a Woman in Cyber
These are just a few of my prestigious, industry-leading women colleagues. This month and every month, they use their expertise and voice to share business-critical information, help keep our world secure, and most importantly, inspire those they reach – customers, partners, early-career cyber professionals, grade-level students and beyond.
At Palo Alto Networks, inclusion is a core value of our culture. While inclusion and diversity are paramount in enabling a welcoming and inspiring work environment, they also allow for greater and faster innovation, which is crucial for cybersecurity professionals to stay ahead of sophisticated adversaries.