Deloitte Women in Cyber

What inspired you to join Deloitte India’s Risk Advisory practice, specifically Cyber? What motivates you to continue? What’s the best part of your job?

Getting an opportunity to start my career with one of the Big Four firms was a major factor that led me to join Deloitte. My inclination towards cybersecurity began when I chose this subject as an elective during my Engineering in core Electronics.I immediately became an avid follower of this subject and wanted to dive deeper due to mycuriosity. Deloitte has helped me upskill this pursuit by providing exposure to an intriguing and challenging environment and giving me the opportunity to engage with large global clients. My time here has led to exponential growth,and my knowledge and experience have increased manifold. It has been a long journey, from studying theoretical definitions and tactics used to handle cyberattacks to monitoring and supporting to build a better security posture.Starting every day with new challenges and hoping to learn something new is alluring enough. Add to that the invigorating culture and the people here at Deloitte, and you have a recipe for success. Meeting my targets within the stipulated deadlines gives me a sense of accomplishment and motivates me to keep striving harder towards my goal.

The best part of doing what I do is learning something new every day, whether it is new tools, technologies and security solutions or attacks and breaches happening around the world. The opportunity to work with major clients with a collaborative and holistic team is another huge plus point.

What work accomplishments are you most proud of?

I have always been riddled with which field I wanted to get into, considering there is a vast ocean of opportunities. Deloitte, with its multiple offerings, has given me a medium to explore various domains helping me finally find a sense of belonging in the Cybersecurity SOC (Security Operations Centre). The fact that I am trusted to get the job done in any given situation at work is my biggest accomplishment. Recently, I helped my client migrate from one ITSM solution to another, building the entire workflow configuration from scratch. Currently, I am also helping a client build automation avenues. Every day is an accomplishment, considering that every day brings a new challenge, and this is what keeps me going.

Have you faced any roadblocks/challenges in your career, and what advice would you give women/your peers facing similar obstacles?

There have been many situations in my professional life that needed out-of-the-box thinking. After putting in all the hard work to come up with a creative solution, it sometimes leads to a dead-end. However, taking a break to clear off my mind and starting the process afresh brings a new perspective for me. We all face roadblocks, but with guidance and support, all obstacles are manageable. The idea is to not be afraid of getting stuck and taking up challenges, as in the end, we will learn something new from it.

How can the industry at large/leaders’ better support women in cybersecurity?

Though there have been various amendments worldwide to try and bridge the gender gap, the cybersecurity domain continues to be a bit intimidating, especially for women. However, with guidance and support from the leadership, any gender can prosper. Leaders can support us by being impartial and not making decisions based on stereotypes, or else one gender will need to strive harder to prove to be equally worthy. It is also equally essential to create a work environment where people feel cared for, as we all are trying to balance various roles in our lives.

Why, according to you, should more women consider a role in Cyber?

Cyber has become a very lucrative and diverse field, and there are various opportunities to explore as a part of this domain. With the risk of threats advancing and rising rapidly, cybersecurity skills are in high demand and need an innovative mindset. Women are often wearing multiple hats in their roles, which helps them adjust to new situations seamlessly. Hence, they can be the perfect fit to support a workforce that is goal-oriented, driven, hardworking, and dedicated.

For me, it is the curiosity of this subject as a whole. It is intimidating yet fascinating to deal with potential breaches and understand the mindset of an attacker to outsmart him/her and build a more secure environment. I have also been able to build traits such as accountability, responsibility, reliability, and a sense of leadership, all of which have added to my personal growth.

It would be good to see more women in cyber, setting examples for all those in doubt and making them believe that there’s no limit to what women can accomplish.