What Steps Can Organizations Take to Ensure Their Cybersecurity Policies Empower Women?

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Organizations can empower women in cybersecurity by creating inclusive training programs, promoting women to leadership positions, enforcing anti-harassment policies, facilitating networking and mentorship, conducting pay equity audits, offering flexible work conditions, supporting women's groups and events, highlighting women's success stories, encouraging policy participation, and implementing anonymous feedback for gender issues. These steps aim to create a supportive, bias-free environment.

Organizations can empower women in cybersecurity by creating inclusive training programs, promoting women to leadership positions, enforcing anti-harassment policies, facilitating networking and mentorship, conducting pay equity audits, offering flexible work conditions, supporting women's groups and events, highlighting women's success stories, encouraging policy participation, and implementing anonymous feedback for gender issues. These steps aim to create a supportive, bias-free environment.

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Diana Nitescu
CEO & Founder at OctogonHUB
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Establish Gender-Inclusive Training Programs

Organizations can ensure their cybersecurity policies empower women by creating gender-inclusive training programs. These programs should be designed to cater to all employees, focusing on reducing gender bias and promoting a culture of inclusivity. This means offering training that understands and addresses specific challenges women might face in the cybersecurity field, including mentoring programs led by successful women in IT security.

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Diana Nitescu
CEO & Founder at OctogonHUB
Thu, 04/11/2024 - 06:50

Cybersecurity tasks (political + technical) are becoming more and more complex and interconnected with emerging technologies: AI, blockchain, quantum computing, metaverse, etc.
That is why the training of specialists involves participation in permanent certification sessions.
1. For women, but especially for young girls, the costs of these programs are very high.
The Certification Companies would be useful to grant discount packages for women and young women. Or companies to offer jobs with cyber 360 packages (cyber certification + 1 technology, laboratories, mentoring, evaluation and bonus)
2. language is another barrier for women in cybersecurity. Trainings and tools integrated with AI with automatic translation would be useful

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Promote Women to Leadership Positions

To empower women in cybersecurity, organizations need to actively promote qualified women to leadership roles. This not only inspires other women in the organization but also ensures that cybersecurity policies are developed with diverse perspectives. Leadership roles could also involve decision-making processes regarding cybersecurity strategies and policies, thus ensuring women have a voice in these critical areas.

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Diana Nitescu
CEO & Founder at OctogonHUB
Thu, 04/11/2024 - 06:57

Yes, HR Departments can build Career Strategies with progressive growth of women depending on the level of certification, experiences, results.

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Implement Anti-Harassment Policies

A fundamental step is to enforce strong anti-harassment policies that create a safe working environment for everyone, especially women who might otherwise face gender-based discrimination or harassment. Clear, zero-tolerance policies against harassment, along with regular training sessions on workplace conduct, can help achieve this goal.

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Diana Nitescu
CEO & Founder at OctogonHUB
Thu, 04/11/2024 - 07:03

Yes, in corporations and SMEs anti-harassment policies are a solution.
In small companies, start-ups or free lensing they cannot be implemented.
Therefore, it is good for women to inform themselves about the National Anti-Harassment Policies and include them in their employment contracts

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Facilitate Networking and Mentorship

Organizations can support women in cybersecurity by facilitating access to networking opportunities and mentorship programs. Connecting aspiring professionals with established women in the field can provide guidance, support, and insights that are invaluable for career growth. These connections can also help women navigate the challenges often encountered in this male-dominated field.

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Diana Nitescu
CEO & Founder at OctogonHUB
Thu, 04/11/2024 - 07:07

I believe that it is equally useful for women and young girls to benefit from male mentors. To be inspired by their experiences and career path in cybersecurity.

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Conduct Regular Pay Equity Audits

To ensure women are empowered and treated fairly, organizations should conduct regular pay equity audits to identify and correct any pay disparities between male and female employees. Addressing the gender pay gap in cybersecurity and IT roles can motivate more women to pursue and remain in these careers, knowing that their contributions are valued equally.

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Diana Nitescu
CEO & Founder at OctogonHUB
Thu, 04/11/2024 - 07:14

In the EU we benefit from a law by which salaries must be displayed in every job advertisement. I think it is a good start to reduce inequity and reduce salary audit costs.

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Offer Flexible Working Conditions

Providing flexible working hours and the option for remote work can be particularly empowering for women, many of whom manage multiple responsibilities. Flexibility can help create a more inclusive environment for women, enabling them to excel in their roles without sacrificing work-life balance.

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Diana Nitescu
CEO & Founder at OctogonHUB
Thu, 04/11/2024 - 07:22

Yes, flexible working conditions are desirable, but performance must also be reported.
Work in cybersecurity is a work of detail, attention, hyper concentration in data analysis. Certain external factors can disrupt work capacity and performance.
I appreciate that solutions must be measured and found for a good flexibility-performance balance.
I think it would be much more useful for women to receive coaching packages on attention / focus / performance management.

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Support Womens Cybersecurity Groups and Conferences

Organizations can show their commitment to empowering women by supporting and sponsoring women’s cybersecurity groups and conferences. Participation in these events can be immensely beneficial for women, offering them opportunities for learning, networking, and professional development.

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Highlight Success Stories of Women in Cybersecurity

Sharing and celebrating the success stories of women in cybersecurity within the organization can serve as powerful motivation. Highlighting the achievements and contributions of women in this field not only honors their work but also encourages other women to pursue and advance in their cybersecurity careers.

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Encourage Participation in Policy Development

Actively encouraging women to take part in the development and revision of cybersecurity policies can ensure these policies are more inclusive and representative. Women’s insights and experiences can lead to more comprehensive and effective cybersecurity strategies that benefit the organization as a whole.

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Diana Nitescu
CEO & Founder at OctogonHUB
Thu, 04/11/2024 - 07:50

Women are also very good at synchronizing cyber security policies with other key companies/institutions for business.
In Europe, we think in terms of unique standards to ensure this mutual support throughout the production/distribution chain.
The advantage is that investments do not increase, but the impact in defense or incident management increases significantly through collaboration, communication and synchronization of actions.

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Anonymous Feedback Mechanism for Gender-Related Issues

Implement an anonymous feedback mechanism specifically for reporting and addressing gender-related issues and biases within the workplace. This allows women to voice their concerns and suggestions without fear of backlash, helping the organization identify areas for improvement and making the cybersecurity field more accessible and empowering for women.

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What else to take into account

This section is for sharing any additional examples, stories, or insights that do not fit into previous sections. Is there anything else you'd like to add?

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Diana Nitescu
CEO & Founder at OctogonHUB
Thu, 04/11/2024 - 08:08

Because the trend in cyber needs in companies is 50% political + 50% technical,
I think that cyber security jobs should be better segmented: CS jobs on the policy side (where female expertise predominates) and technical jobs (where male expertise predominates).
The selection criteria for jobs should mix the conditions as little as possible.

Ex. Although I have advanced certifications in Policies, I find many jobs as a Cyber ​​Policy Consultant, which require Certifications and years of advanced technical experience.
We are spinning in a circle!
So many women cannot hold active jobs because they have just started their career in Cyber.

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