Organised by Eskenzi PR in media partnership with the IT Security Guru, the Most Inspiring Women in Cyber Awards aim to shed light on the remarkable women in our industry. The following is a feature on one of 2024’s Ones to Watch winners selected by an esteemed panel of judges. Presented in a Q&A format, the nominee’s answers are written in their own words with minor edits made by the editor for readability and where relevant, supplemented with additional commentary by their nominator.
In 2024, the awards were sponsored by BT, Think Cybersecurity Ltd. and Plexal, with Eskenzi PR, Assured and Women in Cybersecurity UK & Ireland Affiliate as partners.
What does your role entail?
As a BT cybersecurity apprentice my role is split between investigating real-world security threats and developing my knowledge through university studies in computer science. In terms of my day-to-day work in security operations, I’m part of a team which specialises in looking at network security. This role involves me looking at incoming alerts and analysing them to determine how much of a threat they could be to both BT and its customers. This includes looking into the network traffic and determining whether it is a malicious attack, or just a false positive. With this information we can then deploy mitigation strategies to ensure that attacks are not successful and help safeguard from similar attacks in the future.
When not working in security operations I study at the University of Suffolk, doing a degree in Digital and Technology Solutions. This involves doing a lot of studying and doing assignments revolving around a wide variety of subjects, including cybersecurity, software development and network design. Naturally, doing this on top of my work at BT can make my schedule very busy so I’ve also had to learn how to effectively balance my schedule to make sure I have enough time for both. Despite this however I would not change anything, as the apprenticeship has been so beneficial not just to my educational development but also my professional development.
What made you consider a career in cybersecurity? How did you end up in your current role?
Whilst at sixth form I wasn’t too sure what I wanted to do with my future or what I wanted to do with my life. All I really knew was I wanted to go into a job where I would be helping people. This was until BT came to my sixth form to give a talk about apprenticeships, which at the time I had not given any thought to. It was during this talk that something clicked in my brain and I realised that maybe going into the technology industry might be for me. At first, I was slightly hesitant as I had no previous technical background or skills, and I’d had no real exposure to anything to do with computer science believing it was more of a ‘guy thing’. However, after this talk, which was delivered by a female apprentice, I realised that maybe it wasn’t just a career geared towards guys and was something that anyone could get into.
After having a look at different career options, I ultimately decided on cybersecurity. I had no idea how crucial it was before looking into it, and it helped me to realise I could still help people, by protecting them from different online threats.
What advice would you give to new starters?
The most important advice that has played a big part in helping me to get to where I am today, is to always be yourself. When I first joining BT, I was so worried that due to not having much of a technical background I wouldn’t fit in and was expected to know everything. I soon realised it was the opposite of this and that it was expected for me not to know much at this point and that it was okay for me to ask questions – everyone learns and develops new skills at a different pace so there is no such thing as a ‘silly’ question. I’m very lucky as an apprentice to be given the opportunity to rotate around different teams and get a brief idea of the role of each team. If this is an option, I strongly recommend keeping an open mind and giving everything a go, even if you’re unsure.
What’s the biggest misconception about cybersecurity that you’ve found?
One of the biggest eye-openers and misconceptions for me about cybersecurity was realizing how much broader the field is than I initially thought. Before looking into the industry, my understanding of “cyber” was pretty limited – hacking and online safety were the main things that came to mind, but cybersecurity encompasses so much more than just that, and the more I learn, the more exciting new areas I discover.
Yes, there’s hacking and online safety but those are really just the tip of the cybersecurity iceberg. There’s the world of digital forensics which is like being a computer detective, sifting through evidence to reconstruct events following a cyber incident. Incident management teams are the first responders, working tirelessly to contain breaches and minimize damage. Additionally, threat intelligence analysts play a crucial role by researching and analysing cyber threats, helping organizations stay ahead of the curve.
This diversity within cyber security is what makes it so appealing and I think is often overlooked from an outside perspective. Even if one specific area doesn’t peak your interest, there’s guaranteed to be another that sparks your curiosity. It’s a field that allows you to tailor your passion and skillset to a specific niche, ensuring a fulfilling and constantly evolving career path.
What do you wish you had know when you were starting out in cyber?
Before starting I wish I had known just how crucial the need for cyber security is, not just for businesses but also for everyone who has some form of online presence. It’s such a vital part of making sure everyone remains safe and I don’t believe it’s emphasised enough. New attacks are being developed constantly and if it wasn’t for the hard work of every single member of the cyber industry, going online could potentially be really dangerous. The consistency of attacks is another thing I don’t think its emphasised enough when cyber security is discussed, sure I’d heard about some attacks in the news, but I never truly realised the quantity of attacks that occur every day. Had I known this, I would have had realised how important cybersecurity is and just how vital it is in protecting everyone, it would have been something I would have had far more of an interest in earlier on in my life.
