Day of Shecurity Continues to Bring Women Together to Grow Their Careers in Cybersecurity

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Day of Shecurity (DOS) is one of the leading global conferences focused on bringing together women working in or desiring to work in cybersecurity. Going virtual in 2021 has enabled DOS to build a global community and include speakers from around the world, at varying career levels. The goal of DOS is to create an event where women can build a cybersecurity community and feel empowered to start or continue their work in the industry, even if they're the only woman in their organization.

"All the presenters were so prepared, smart, entertaining and empathetic, I didn't know this was possible. ...the women in my org are so swamped and isolated, and worried for their jobs that we don't talk to one another…. I didn't know that there was (sic) different or better [workplace cultures for women] available."

In response to the ever-growing field of cybersecurity and the need for more talent and to diversify workforces, Day of Shecurity held a second virtual conference on October 28 and 29, 2021 with over 750 people attending. Of the online registrations, 73% were first-time attendees. Attendees had a range of career experiences, both within and outside of cybersecurity. 43% of registrants had ten or more years of general career experience, whereas 62% of registrants identified as not being in cybersecurity yet, or, having less than two years experience in cybersecurity.

"It's amazing to see such a diverse and strong group of women. I'm used to being surrounded by men. I feel like I found a lot of good resources here."

The October Day of Shecurity presented three keynotes, including a panel discussion of women Chief Information Security Officers (CISO), 48 speakers, and 41 talks. The sessions fit within the categories of Cybersecurity Careers, Emotional Intelligence and Leadership, Cybersecurity Beyond Engineering, and Technical/Engineer-Focused. 26 sponsors made this event possible with their financial contributions and donations of training and services.

Founding Sponsors: Lookout & Secure Diversity
VIP Sponsors: Auth0, AWS, Boston Cybernetics Institute, CyberSN, Snyk
Gold Sponsors: Autodesk, Canva, Google, & Gusto
Silver Sponsors: Datadog, Netflix, Recorded Future, Stripe, & Twilio Segment
Bronze Sponsors: Airbnb, Benchling, Chime, CyberSaint Security, One Medical, Plaid, Pluralsight, & Sans Cyber Immersion Institute
In-Kind Sponsors: Rainbow Secure, We Hack Purple, & Wehmeyer & Associates

Plans are underway for future Day of Shecurity conferences in 2022. We have plans to do some in-person events and will shift to virtual if COVID cases dictate that need.
2022 dates are:
San Francisco, In-Person: TBD, Location TBD
Virtual Event: Wednesday, May 11, 2022, Hopin Platform
Boston, In-Person: September 2022, Location TBD

"[F]or almost every two cybersecurity jobs in the United States today, a third job is sitting empty because of a shortage of skilled people." It's crucial that cybersecurity hiring managers look at what's required and what can be taught to fill these gaps. The number of open cybersecurity roles is compounded by the lack of entry-level jobs within the industry. To address training and diversity needs, Microsoft has partnered with US community colleges. Not only is there a large number of job openings, but there is still a lack of diversity.

Day of Shecurity is a free-to-attend interactive conference that originally launched in 2017 at Lookout headquarters in San Francisco for women in technology interested in cybersecurity. Day of Shecurity launched in Boston in 2019, Toronto in 2019, and has now hosted two virtual, location-agnostic conferences. The event is an effort by Secure Diversity, Lookout and the Lookout Foundation, Day of Shecurity Core Team, and various organizations that believe that diversity & inclusion matter in our industry.

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Media contact:
Kelly Thibault
[email protected] 
510-847-8478

SOURCE Day of Shecurity