Sophos’ Morgan Demboski highlights a woman’s Journey in tech and the quest for inclusivity

Can you share your journey with us and what inspired you to pursue a career in this industry?

Though I did not intend to join the tech industry, now that I have been in it for several years, I realise how important my work is for our customers. Tactical threat intelligence focuses on the behaviours and observables (the actions, tools, and infrastructure) seen in an attack, as opposed to strategic threat intel which focuses on motivations, targeting, and attribution.

Don’t be intimidated if you’re the only woman in the room. When I first started in the industry, I often felt hesitant partially because I was the only woman on the team. We should not be judged on our gender, but expertise. The fact that there are fewer women in cybersecurity than in other tech sectors should not be a career obstacle, and in fact, should be inspiring – together we can shift the culture and open doors for the next generation.

What challenges have you faced as a woman in IT?

There have been a lot of great strides in making the industry more inclusive for women, like Women in Cybersecurity and workshops tailored to teach women more technical skills. I think continuing to expand those efforts plays an important role in making the industry more accessible to women.

What unique contributions do women bring to the IT field?

I think it’s always good to have differing perspectives on a team, and there are times when being a woman has enabled me to look at a problem in a different way, which has helped the team be more efficient in the way we operate.

How can the tech industry better support and encourage gender diversity and inclusion?

The biggest obstacle women in technology face depend on the role they’re in but is likely the lack of representation and female role models in the industry. There’s been a lot of strides in improving female representation but being in a role where your whole team is men, your boss is a man, your boss’s boss is a man, and all the roles up the ladder to the CEO are filled with men, it can seem like it is hard to break that pattern as a woman trying to move her way up.