The cybersecurity has become a challenge for companies. The continuous use of the Internet and the storage of sensitive information on company servers makes the protection of information a priority. To take care of this, the cybersecurity expert has been born, a professional profile which is increasingly in demand around the world. To be precise, and according to Telefónica's head of cybersecurity, Pedro Pablo Pérez, around three million high-quality jobs are in demand.
But technology, and to be more precise cybersecurity, is not just for men. Just as the number of women who want to go into this field is growing considerably, so too are the organisations that support women in technology.
One such organisation is Women4Cyber, an initiative launched by the European Cybersecurity Organisation (ECSO). Women4Cyber was created with the aim of raising the profile of women's actions and achievements in cybersecurity, as well as strengthening women's participation in this field in the future. To meet this objective, ECSO, which was created in 2016 to collaborate with the European Commission on cybersecurity, has decided to give a voice to all these women through their own testimonies. The Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, Mariya Gabriel, explained when announcing the entry into force of the initiative that women "have a lot to contribute, and their talent and experience must be recognised". She added that "women are still under-represented in our digital future".
To this, Cristina Aranda, founder of the Asociación Mujeres Tech, added that "we need many female cybersecurity experts and hackers who know how to fight the 'forces of evil' and make technology have a positive impact on companies and society". To support this development, another of the initiatives that have been created is Girls in ICT Daythrough which girls and young women try to discover what it is like to work in this sector. It organises an annual series of global events where girls between the ages of 11 and 15 participate in workshops and other resources. In total, more than 357,000 girls and young women have already participated in more than 171 countries around the world.
However, we still have a long way to go in terms of equality. As explained in a Karpersky study, only 11% of cybersecurity professionals are women and 52% of women have no interest in computer science as a career. What is the reason for this gender gap?
The Search Data Center gives a total of four reasons why IT is not attractive to women. Two of these have to do with perception and recognition. When talking about cybersecurity, one tends to think of it as a technical, complicated industry in which there is practically no female presence. On the other hand, the lack of recognition of women's achievements means that girls as young girls do not have role models in the industry, and are therefore not attracted to the discipline.
Perception and recognition are joined by education and communication. The lack of cyber education in schools has as its main effect a lack of interest, a lack that is amplified by the lack of communication about the discipline, especially in the area of cyber education. what is cyber security? and what their role is in our daily lives. It is very important that, as users, we are connected to some of the most important terms The following are some of the very basics that will help us to understand certain threats and the ways in which we can avoid them.
If you are interested in taking a master's degree in cyber defence, at IMMUNE we have an master's degree in cybersecurity in Madrid and as a online master's degree in cybersecurity.
English (UK)