Page 51 - the SyI Quarterly 13 - (V4)

Cyber Updates

Different Voices, Different Variety of Perspectives
If you have people on your team from diverse backgrounds this will bring a variety of viewpoints, which
means teams are more likely to get past obstacles and efficiently resolve issues by approaching them
Perspectives: How to Increase from different angles and viewpoints. Different questions may also be asked, and this level of diversity
means teams are likely to have more options available to them and find better solutions.
Diversity in Security Teams Greater Problem Solving

A diverse team will often provide more than just a range of different perspectives. When you are
- Lisa Ventura, Founder, Cyber Security Unity surrounded by peers who are more diverse, the members in the majority group may start to question
their own assumptions, in turn helping them to improve their problem-solving capabilities. Visual
diversity in teams often helps those involved to handle conflict in a more constructive way and in
anticipation of potential conflicts are more likely to undertake more due diligence and research before
presenting ideas, leading them to discover more problems on their own.

Diversity is defined as being the broad range of How to Increase Diversity
human differences, including but not limited to race, Increasing diversity can bring great benefits to organisations, but it does mean changing perceptions
ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, ability, and examining any biases you might have. Some of the ways you can increase diversity in your
and socio-economic status. Despite the benefits organisation include:
diversity can bring many organisations have been
slow to embrace it and to embrace the benefits Focus on Staff Retention as much as Staff Recruitment
that a diverse workforce can bring them. The cyber Studies show that up to 52% of women leave security careers, as do those with non-traditional
security profession in the UK faces specific issues backgrounds, and this is nearly double the percentage of men who leave cybersecurity careers. Some
in respect of increasing the pool of cyber security say this is because women don’t enjoy their careers in security, but 80%+ of women in the industry say
talent. These include supporting more neurodiverse that they love their work. This implies that many from diverse backgrounds leave the industry due to
candidates into the profession, increasing the culture.
number of women in the profession, and facilitating
non-traditional routes into the profession. Keep Your Conscious and Unconscious Biases in Check
Too often, we have a mental picture of what a security person is supposed to look like which does not
The Benefits of Diverse Teams in Security reflect reality. Appearances can be very deceptive, so acknowledge that your biases may not be explicit
Organisations should have a wide range of skills or intentional and learn to recognize that they do exist. Listen to what people say, evaluate the work
across their security teams, which is best achieved they produce and observe how they collaborate with others – these are all indicators of the value they
by increased diversity, and some important ways bring to the organisation.
diversity benefits a team include:

Nurture Those who Think Uniquely
Greater Representation Building a culture of inclusion where everyone has a chance to share their ideas can help hugely when
Representation in cyber security is essential, it comes to improving diversity within security organizations. Not every idea will be a great one, but all
especially for teams to match the diversity of those ideas and opinions should be shared and listened to.
who carry out cyber-attacks and to represent the
groups they are protecting. If there is a lack of Increase Your Talent Pool Through Flexible Working
diversity this can lead to gaps in cyber security Supporting flexible working hours, a flexible working location, job sharing or three weeks on/one week
training due to assumptions in end-user knowledge. off enables people to set their own hours and location where they feel at their most productive, while
If you have a range of ages in teams this results in still delivering on deadlines and projects. Trust that people can be productive even if they don’t work
a variety of valuable skill sets and perspectives, for in the same way or at the same time as others.
example, cyber security professionals with long-term
experience will have much more experience with Final Thoughts
malware, whereas those who are younger will be To build a strong and diverse security team, you need to build an environment that supports and
more versed in modern threats. accepts differences of all kinds. Do not let bias about gender, the hours someone works, the location

that someone works, or their appearance get in the way of nurturing all the great security talent
available within organisations. Organisations should focus on creating security teams that mirror the
make-up of their wider workforce. Only then do they stand a chance of warding off the growing cyber-
threat.
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