FatimahLovesCyber

I am so thrilled to welcome THE Confidence Staveley to this week's discussion.

Known as the most celebrated and recognized female leader in the African cybersecurity space, Confidence is a multiple award-winner. She is the founder and Executive Director of CyberSafe foundation and an official member of the Forbes Technology Council.

So join the chat as Confidence and I share thoughts on the significance and value of cybersecurity in Africa today.

Key Points:

❖ Confidence gives a brief but wholesome introduction about herself [01:06]

❖ "Africa is taking technology in without cybersecurity and that's like putting a 12-year-old in a Mercedes without showing him the brakes" says Confidence as she speaks about the importance of cyber security in the 21st century. [03:58]

❖ Confidence gives a rating on the statistics of cyber talents in Africa. [07:41]

❖ Story-time: Confidence narrates how and why she started CyberSafe . [14:58]

❖ We talk about the deficit of cyber talents in Africa due to the current "Japa" trend, more prominent in Nigeria. [24:53]

❖ "Both sides bring value" Confidence posits, giving an interesting take on the Experience vs Certification debate. [29:31]

❖ Confidence gives candid advice to newbies interested in

joining the cyber community. [33:17]

❖ Bonus Question: What would you be doing if it wasn't cyber security? [41:49]

❖ Confidence gives a closing note by sharing her personal mantra. [45:50]

Index: Nigerian slang/words used

• Japa- to "flee”. This is a current trend where Africans leave their home country to first world countries for better lives and opportunities.

• Amala- Yam/Cassava-flour meal

Press play to listen to the thrilling conversation

Connect with my guest, Confidence Stavely on Linkedin @Confidence Staveley; Twitter @sisinerdtweets; https://cybersafefoundation.org

Connect with me on LinkedIn @Fatimah Adelodun.

Conversing with me on today's episode is Sherifat Akinwonmi, a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO) and Certified Lead Implementer of ISO27001.

She has always worn the garment of excellence, and mentors cyberspace women on the same path. Join us as we measure the deficits of cyber security talents in Africa.

Key Points 

• Who is Sherifat Akinwonmi? [01:06]

• "Cyber security is our life right now" We discuss how important cyber security is in our generation [04:38]

• Sherifat walks us through a new perspective to the underlying issues facing the placement and availability of cyber security talents in Africa [ 07:55] 

• We both share our thoughts on the migration of talents to world-class countries for better opportunities [12:25]

• At this juncture, we tackle possible solutions to the talent gap and talent shortage currently plaguing the continent [17:17]

• Sherifat gives her take on the "Certification vs Experience" debate [23:00]

• She shares amazing wisdom nuggets for ready-to-learn newbies in the cyberspace [26:20]

• [Fun Question] What would you have been doing if not for cyber security?[31:04]

• Sherifat wraps up the conversation beautifully [31:57]

Index - Nigerian Slangs Used

We move- Forging ahead regardless of the situation

No beans- Isn't easy

Recommended Materials for Newbies in the Cyber Security Space

ISESpray- Certified in Cyber Security

CompTIA Security Plplus

Press play to listen to the thrilling conversation

Connect with my guest, Sherifat Akinwonmi on Linkedin @Sherifat Akinwonmi 

Connect with me on LinkedIn @Fatimah Adelodun 

I had a really time talking with Iretioluwa  Akerele, a Cybersecurity Professional with ears of experience in Information Security, Data Privacy, Regulatory Compliance, Implementation of Security Controls and Risk Governance. Ireti is the founder of Cybarik, a cybersecurity consulting firm that improves cybersecurity skills and talents of the employable market through intense and accredited training. Ireti also co-founded Cyblack, an organization that helps African cybersecurity students in Europe to network, learn and build strong foundations in the field 

Key Points 

• As a  woman in cyber who wears many hats, Ireti reveals how she handles the pressure and keeps herself from being burned out [02:57] 

• “We are not there yet”....  Ireti gives us her rating on the landscape of cybersecurity talent space made available in Africa. [07:56] 

• Ireti gives us a peek through the curtain of how and why she started Cyblack.  [09:57]

• Ireti shares profound solutions to building and retaining cybersecurity talents to prevent the adverse effects of brain drain in the country. Some of such includes adequate rewards and discarding the habit whereby employers set unrealistic criteria in job listings that scare possible applicants away. [16:46-24:13]

• Ireti gives a rather interesting take on the  “Certificate versus Experience” debate  [25:22] 

• As always, I asked her to drop encouraging words for newbies and those still thinking about delving into Cybersecurity. [30:21]

• A fun bonus question! [38:47]

• We close with more encouraging words from Ireti. [40:24] 

Press play to listen to the thrilling conversation

Connect with my guest, Iretioluwa Akerele on social media:

Linkedin: @Iretioluwa Akerele | Twitter: @ireteeh

Connect with me on LinkedIn @Fatimah Adelodun 

Today, I converse with Gbolabo Awelewa; a tech management strategist and cybersecurity specialist with over a decade’s experience in the design, development and management of secure information systems and enterprise infrastructure. Gbolabo is currently the CTO and Country Manager of Infoprive Group.  

Key Points

• We kick off with the evolution and importance of cybersecurity in Africa. Gbolabo sums up his take in these precise words; “You have to have a plan to protect your assets…intellectual property…customer details…transactions online…there just has to be some level of investment in cybersecurity for everything you need to do today.” [03:04]

• Gbolabo and I exchange thoughts on the ongoing "Certification vs. Experience" debate in the cybersecurity sector. Gbolabo shares funny stories from his experience with recruiting talents. [17:05] 

• Gbolabo gives tips to newbies seeking to pivot into the cyber security space. [26:00]

• Gbolabo hammers on the importance of mentorship, the role mentees have to play in their mentorship success, and how to reach mentors in the cyber security space. He also mentions a fun and helpful fact here. [34:22]

• Of course, I don’t miss out on asking the bonus fun question: What would you be doing if you weren’t in the cyber security space? Gbolabo definitely surprises me with his response to this. [39:26]

Press play to listen to the conversation 

Connect with my guest Gbolabo Awelewa on Linkedin @Gbolabo Awelewa

Connect with me on LinkedIn @Fatimah Adelodun 

WE ARE LIVE! 

Welcome to the Fatimah Loves Cyber podcast, season 2! 

In the first episode of my second season, I am honored and excited to have as my guest, Dr Muktar Bello, a cybersecurity forensics expert, and lecturer at the University of Salford. Fun Fact: Dr. Bello is, amongst these other amazing accolades, listed as a professional member of the British Computer Society (BCS), UK Academy for Information Systems (UKAIS), and Association of Crime and Intelligence Analysts (ACIA).

He highlights some of these progressive steps such as how Rwanda and Kenya have found remarkable ways to bring technology and advancement into agriculture; how universities are adopting STEM courses into their curriculum; how African economies can unite to cater to digital rights, privacy, and more.  Below are some interesting highlights of our conversation.

Key Points 

• We discuss the importance of cyber security in Africa today. [03:54]

• We share our takes on the mass migration of cybersecurity talents from Nigeria [12:12]

• Dr. Bello gives us a broader perspective of one of the toughest problems facing cybersecurity in Africa today. [17:49]

• Dr. Bello shares his insight on the popular debate “Certification vs. Experience” [22:23]

• “Wherever you find yourself, start somewhere, especially your area of interest” Dr. Bello gives a dose of advice to those waiting to join the cyber security space.[25:40]

• A bonus fun question: “If you weren’t in tech, what other sector would you be in?” Find out Dr. Bello’s apt response to this! [30:08]

Tune in to listen to Dr. Bello share from his well of wisdom.

Connect with Dr. Bello on LinkedIn @Dr. Muktar Bello

Connect with me on LinkedIn @Fatimah Adelodun

It’s the end of Season 1!!!

My guest on the podcast today is Meghan Jacquot, a Cyber security Engineer, also the founder and creator of Carpediem tech. Coming from a tech lineage, Meghan started with solving puzzles and deconstructing robots right from childhood, Meghan has always been passionate about all things tech. Over two years back, she switched from being a STEM educator to being a professional in cyberspace. Meghan is passionate about learning and providing solutions that will help others in the tech space, especially women.

Key points:

· I and Meghan discuss the underrepresentation of women in cybersecurity. [ 03:06]

· Meghan shares how she pivoted in the cyber security space. You'll be glad to know we found our own Tinkerbell [ 07:33]

· Meghan shares her thoughts on sticking to one field or going all out in cyberspace. She says " The more one works, the more they are likely to become more specialized …" [14:09]

· Meghan shares her experience in climbing the corporate ladder [18:04]

·  "Diversity is strength" for companies and organizations to strive towards diversity [24:09]

· Meghan gives solid advice to women who have no experience in cyber security; women at the entry-level/ enthusiasts [27:38]

· "Building relationships first is important in the place of mentorship" Meghan airs her view on finding mentors and gives helpful tips for networking [31:45

Resources:

· The cyber security career guide by Alyssa Miller.

· Reinventing cyber security compilation - Different authors.

In today’s episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing my namesake, the amazing Fatima Saman.

Fatima is a Graduate Research Assistant at Georgia State University and the Vice Chair of the Board in Breaking Barriers Women in Cybersecurity Foundation. Asides from these, Fatima takes on several other transformational roles, some of which she discusses with her namesake, Fatimah in this episode.

Fatima gives her perspective on the low representation of women in Cybersecurity, why there are so many fears surrounding coding, and how we can trample these fears.

Tune in to listen to Fatima’s insights on these questions and more.

Key Points

1:42 - Fatima begins by sharing how her journey began in 2017. How did she navigate the industry before she gained an academic degree in cybersecurity? Find out.

2:48 - Moved by Fatima’s story, I expatiate the reason for this podcast: spotlighting women in the industry in order to reshape cultural stereotypes and encourage more women who have a passion for the field.

6:29 - Fatima explains that with the right tools, resources, and mentorship, one can dive into cybersecurity from any industry. She uses herself as an example.

14:50 - Fatima tells us what piqued her interest in cybersecurity, as well as the free resources and communities that helped her. She emphasizes the importance of being intentional about educating yourself.

20:39 - Fatima talks about the corporate ladder, volunteering, community work, and learning from others and how all these spur her passion for cybersecurity. She notes that improving on her knowledge helps her make more impact.

26:32 Fatima discusses diversity and inclusion. She says it is very close to her heart and states her opinion on how organizations can grow with diversity and inclusion. But not as a checklist, she says.

31:05 - Fatima shares her advice for people who may be scared of coding.

37:54 - Fatima offers her final recommendations for enthusiasts; she talks about pushing oneself, having a learning mindset, souring resources on the internet, and being active in corporate networks like LinkedIn. 

She would be absolutely glad to offer advice and help if you connect with her, she says. Connect with Fatima on LinkedIn @Saman Fatima.

Press play to listen to the conversation.

In today’s episode, I introduce my guest, Kimberly St.Pierre, director of Strategic Accounts for Washington-based cybersecurity and systems-management company Tanium.

We discuss the importance of approaching diversity from an educational perspective instead of a “quota-based” system, inclusive languages in job ads,  how the inside-out approach can be used when comes to mentorship and expound on the types of mentorship. Generally, this was an interesting and eye-opening conversation.

Key points:

· Kim tells us the story of how she first got into telecom and then delved into cybersecurity. She was further locked in by the urge to curb cybercrime. [5.10-9.55]

· Kim tells us the story behind Tanium, its goals, and its branches. [12.55-18.02]

· Kim tells us what measures she thinks should be put in place to encourage diversity when organizations are hiring. She believes it's not all about having a quota. She'd rather educate people on the need for diversity. [23.55-28.03]

· Fatima and Kim agree that there should be the use of inclusive language. Organizations should do away with work registers that use words like "man-hours". Here, Kim gives an interesting mention of an article she read on the case of inclusive language. [28.08-29.19]

· Kim offers advice for people who are skeptical about venturing into cybersecurity because of how difficult it seems. She draws a relationship between this and being creative. [31.30-34.59]

· Fatimah and Kim discuss how the inside-out approach can be used in terms of mentorship. Kim expounds on the types of mentorship: micro mentorship, older to younger, etc. [36.08-39.20]

· Kim proffers final advice to cyber enthusiasts, people at entry level, and anybody at all who is considering getting into the field of cyber security. [42.08-45.55]

Press play to listen to the conversation.

In today’s episode, we gain insights from Gbemisola Osunride, a passionate and determined cybersecurity consultant. She currently works at Infoprive as a Service Assurance Executive. For Gbemisola, it’s about knowing what you want and going for it. She is undeterred by people’s opinions about what women can or cannot do in the cybersecurity industry. In this episode, she shares some nuggets and encouragement for women who may be second-guessing themselves.

Key Points:

• Gbemisola shares her opinion on the underrepresentation of women in the cybersecurity space. She mentions Ocean 13 and Charlie’s Angels as two of the few movies that advocate for women in the tech space      [2:13].
• I attest to one of the points Gbemisola raises: how women are sometimes pushed to the less technical roles in the industry because people feel they cannot handle it [9:10].
• Gbemisola tells us about how she came into the field. She shares some resources that helped her and how she took CCNA and CCNP courses. She also discusses her experience as an NYSC intern, and the positive impact her female boss had on her professional growth [11:40].
• Gbemisola discusses the fun side of cybersecurity; how good it feels when your work, as a woman in the field, surpasses expectations [16:06].
• Gbemisola encourages women to fight through the storms and not let other people’s words cause us to second-guess ourselves      [23:00].
• Gbemisola tells us what she would love organizations to do in terms of diversity in the industry. She goes ahead to explain the role of parents as well; how parents should prune their kids’ skills from a young age [26:24].
• Gbemisola and I discuss the future of work and how coding cannot be avoided in the tech space. However, Gbemisola explains that people who go into coding are passionate about enduring challenges and difficulties. [36:19].
• Gbemisola and I round up the critical role of mentorship in the industry [39:14]

Press play to listen to the conversation.

My guest today is Ruchira Pokhriyal, a cloud security expert from India. An advocate for diversity and inclusion, Ruchira speaks for the visibility of LGBTQ people in tech.

Key points:

• Ruchira explains how some misconceptions like "tech is not meant for women” are the major causes of the underrepresentation of women. She advocates that women should be encouraged and enlightened enough to get their hands in the cyber security space. We should be allowed to speak about the bias without fear of losing our jobs [3.40-9.21].
• Ruchira shares the backstory of her career: how she never envisioned a career in tech. Hers is one of the rare cases where the career choice a parent makes for their child becomes the better choice [11.45-14.20].
• Ruchira mentions some free resources and activities that helped her when she was a student, as she didn’t have the luxury of buying courses. [17.12-21.05].
• Ruchira dives into her challenges in the industry, the big wins, and the organizations that helped her find a balance [22.42-26.49].
• Ruchira suggests that employers invest in training that enlightens employees in the area of diversity and inclusion. She also mentions the roles of educational institutions and other professional bodies [29.18-31.10].
• I and Ruchira discuss the importance of mentorship with practical offers tips on how to approach a prospective mentor [34.45-43.05].
• Ruchira and I round up the conversation with some advice for entry-level women in the industry [43.44-46.31].

Press play to listen to the conversation.

In today’s episode, I speak with Saltanat Mashirova a national of Kazakhstan who works as an Advanced Cyber Security Architect/Engineer at Center of Excellence and Innovation, Dubai Honeywell (Critical Infrastructure), President of ISACA Nur-Sultan Chapter, and Founder of Women in Cybersecurity Kazakhstan.

Saltanat is an award-winning ICS Cyber Security leader, speaker, and women’s change agent in Kazakhstan.

Her current focus is ICS Cyber security consulting, ICS Secure architecture development and onsite implementation, Conducting ICS Trainings, OT infrastructure assessment/remediation, and Network Engineering in various fields of Oil, Gas, and Energy Industries.

Saltanat is a member of Advisory Board at Siberx (Canada), Member of 1st Global Cybersecurity Observatory, Mentor at IQanat, CISSP Mentor, Member of 2022 Judges at IFSEC Global – Security & fire safety news, Mentor of Global Mentoring for Cybersecurity (GMFC) Program 2022, etc. Apart from that, she is a speaker/ role model/ panelist/trainer of different events about cybersecurity internationally.

Key points:

• Fatimah piques Saltanat’s thoughts on the underrepresentation of women in cyber security. Saltanat talks about cultural and family restrictions,      gender-based opportunities, and other causes. She shares her personal experience: how she juggled, and still juggles, work and family obligations      [3.05-8.45].

• Saltanat tells us how her interest in cybersecurity developed. She mentions her love for challenges and shares an intriguing revelation about herself; how she entered into the industry and got to where she is. She doesn’t fail to give women some secrets to hitting big in the industry. [10.25-15.30]

• Saltanat addresses people who have an interest in cybersecurity but lack the educational background, certifications, or experience. She shares the various domains and non-technical sides available to start with and offers advice that could birth tremendous growth in the industry [17.29-20.52].

• Saltanat shares her opinions on how companies should handle the issue of diversity and inclusion. Her advice can be summed up as building an inclusive workspace [27.10-27.48].

• Saltanat says it is very important to get a mentor, and shares her experience. She got into the field without any mentoring. A tough experience. She expounds on the benefits of mentorship [28.33-30.47].

Press play to listen to the conversation.

How Stephanie’s Professional Transition is Contributing to Diversity and Inclusion in the Cybersecurity Space

Today’s guest, Stephanie Itimi, is an economist turned cyber expert. After switching professions, Stephanie became the founder and CEO of SEIDAE, a career development platform with a social mission to help minorities build careers in cyber security. She is also the co-founder of NFTSec, a security platform for NFT creators and investors. In this episode, she discusses with host, Fatimah Adelodun, on how women can upscale in the cybersecurity space. She also shares her passion for building diversity for black and minority ethnic women in the cybersecurity space.

Key points:

- Stephanie breaks down the major causes of the underrepresentation of women in the cybersecurity space [1:07]

- Stephanie takes us on a journey through her transition to cybersecurity, says she "fell into it." [ 5:43]

- Stephanie provides insight into the SEIDAE career platform. Learn how it has created opportunities for women like you to join the tech world. [12:11 ]

- "Companies should be more open-minded about including diversity during recruitment," Stephanie says, as she speaks on the need for companies and organizations to accept different expertise levels and people of diversity. [ 16:54]

- Got fears about joining the cybersecurity space because you’re a woman? Stephanie understands these fears, and provides expert advice at this juncture. [ 22:28]

- Mentorship should be a give and take process,"  Stephanie says as she gives her thoughts on the role of mentorship, the necessity of proper internet education, and networking. [24:14]

- On a final note, Stephanie gives her candid advice to women in entry-level cybersecurity. [26:49]

Press play to listen to the conversation.

"Give me opportunities not because I'm a woman but because I deserve them.”

These were the profound words of my guest, Aastha, in the pioneering episode of FatimahLovesCyber, a weekly podcast where we burst myths and spur positive impact in the cybersecurity space.

Aastha is a cybersecurity expert and technical trainer at SIEM XDR. While she believes that more doors should be open to women, she is also against pity inclusion. Are you a newbie in the industry? Aastha has something for you: a hack for effective learning. In this episode, she describes how women can become deserving of the numerous opportunities in the cybersecurity space. She evaluates how we can break mental barriers, transition from another field to cybersecurity, and some core traits that are critical to growth in the industry, regardless of gender. We couldn't have started the series with a more insightful episode. Connect with Aster on LinkedIn, Cyberpreserve, and Breaking Barriers Women In Cybersecurity (BBWIC).