Kate Wotherspoon, the Marketing Manager at Authlogics, advises not to perceive the cybersecurity world to be extremely technical, as there is a multitude of varying roles within which women can adopt and embrace

Tell us about yourself and your current job role.
Media, motor trade, construction… I have had the opportunity to apply my marketing skills within a range of heavily male-influenced verticals, but the cybersecurity industry proves to be the most interesting, fast-paced, friendliest, and continues to provide the challenge I seek!

As a woman in cybersecurity, you are outnumbered with there still only being 20% representation globally (with the UK having one of the lowest at 8%). I began my career within IT by chance and have returned as the ‘technical translator’ for Authlogics who provides the most dynamic password security and multi-factor authentication to enterprises everywhere.

Tell us about your journey into the security industry. Was the security industry your first choice?
Having initially worked within the IT sector at the BBC, we focused on the development of the programming and scheduling of programmes broadcast through all television and radio channels. It was at a time that embraced the millennium (Y2K) milestone and oversaw the beginning of the digital broadcasting era which secured my passion for technology.

I was the only female within the department then and remain in the minority in the present day. With a lack of female role models, women do not actively seek out cybersecurity roles and as I have personally experienced, people’s perception of being involved in the sector is met with surprise! Women should be encouraged to become more involved in this industry as it offers a diverse spectrum of opportunities.

During your tenure in the security industry have you experienced major changes the industry has gone through?
The impact of COVID saw the world having to adapt almost instantly to new ways of working, selling, and surviving by adopting new digital strategies within virtual and remote environments. At the same time, cyberattacks rose rapidly impacting the healthcare sector in particular when they were most vulnerable and under pressure.

Therefore, the digital world changed almost overnight and while other industries suffered, the cybersecurity world grew substantially. Infosec companies, in the last 18 months, have seen the demand for securing businesses, their staff, and customers in a remote environment. At Authlogics, we have been able to assist with ensuring that companies adopt secure log-in procedures that ensure productivity remains stable and minimize the risk of data breaches and other related cyberattack scenarios.

Are there any challenges you face on a day-to-day basis working in this industry?
With cyberattacks on the rise, both individuals and organisations are at risk of becoming victims and the recovery can be costly and damaging. One of my favourites and most shocking statistics “over 80% of data breaches are associated with weak, stolen or reused passwords” does hit home when educating the end-user of the risks of poor password management.

At Authlogics, we have the ability to monitor, advise and remediate those with compromised credentials as our extensive password breach database holds over 4 billion records including 1.2 billion clear text passwords. Being able to offer customers peace of mind by simplifying and securing their digital identities is part of the daily duties we undertake, and I never cease to be surprised by the innovative ways of our technical team.

What sort of future do you foresee for the security industry as a whole?
When you reflect on how far technology has advanced within the last 30 years, it is so exciting to think as to where we will be in the future, there are so many innovative products and technologies out there that demonstrate the ability to evolve digitally but we do have to remember that what comes with new ways, we must protect ourselves at all times as no-one is ever safe.

What more needs to be done to welcome more and more women into the security industry?
As much as women perceive the cybersecurity world to be extremely technical, there are a multitude of varying roles within that women can adopt and embrace. I would encourage women to explore the possibilities of becoming involved and not to be deterred by the technical jargon that comes awash with it, as once you’ve deciphered and translated it, you’ll want to know more.

Working with Authlogics distributors, partners, and customers around the world, we have found it is important to embrace not only gender diversity but people’s culture and environmental background as our lives become more cyber-cosmopolitan.