‘Change is happening. But it’s slow because there’s no money value’ - SonicWall’s Katie Ralph on gender in cybersecurity

Vendor’s EMEA director of solutions engineering opens up on the success of a more diverse workforce, the impact of return to office mandates, and how to make boardrooms listen

Cybersecurity is making headway in recruiting more women to the sector, but the drive won’t be able to accelerate without a money incentive.

According to figures from a recent Tech Nation report on diversity in UK tech companies, 77 per cent of tech director roles are filled by men. Stats from Tech Nation also suggest that only 26 per cent of the tech workforce are women.

Speaking with CRN, Katie Ralph, director of solutions engineering for EMEA at SonicWall acknowledges the cyber space has seen improvements with more women joining the workforce but believes the issue struggles to get past other topics in the boardroom.

“I do believe change is happening. I just think it’s slower because it’s not something that immediately has a dollar value or a pound or euro value to it,” she says.

“It’s never one of the top initiatives for a business.

“What’s the newest, shiniest thing? AI. People will start pouring money into AI. That’s what gets people excited.

“Going into a boardroom saying we need more women is not always something they get excited about.

“How can we translate that into a way that makes them listen more? I think you just have to have a money value to it.”

Throughout her decade-long career, Ralph has seen this gender imbalance improve first-hand. Even so, she believes it will take another generation for workplaces to truly become equal.

“I think we’ll see this for another generation.

“There are slightly more women in tech from when I started about ten years ago at multiple levels of different roles within the industry.

“It’s not got worse.”

Ralph believes there are more senior to mid-level management roles in the industry that are still typically held by men owing to a natural progression where men have held positions like engineers beforehand and then moved into management.

“I do see more women in the presence of analytical type roles. I’m seeing more women in the SOCs.”

“I do think that c-suite and board level roles, because they're such niche roles there's fewer people, and that makes the imbalance and the lack of women really, really stark.

“Very rarely do I meet female CISOs. I've worked with a few who weren't CISOs at the time, and now they are. But it is definitely an imbalance.

“I don't think there's like a one hit way of fixing it. I just think it's a transitional change we’ll need.”

Why it’s important

The more diverse a workforce, the more successful it will be as it brings together different ways of thinking, and that goes for all industries, Ralph states.

“Yes, IT and cyber are extremely male dominated, and it’s got us this far. But what is going to accelerate us further? We need to have more women.

“The way women think and perceive the world is different to men. That will only help in terms of being successful.

“If we're trying to keep pace with how the threat landscape is changing and evolving, we also need to do that on our side. Take in other factors and ideas and concepts.”

She adds that having more balance will make it more successful, because that will encourage more talent in.

“If the younger generation of women and girls see more women in senior positions, or successful stories within the industry that promotes the talent pipeline to come through.”

Is cybersecurity becoming less flexible?

A number of tech vendor giants have recently announced controversial return to office mandates.

AWS declared its poorly received five-days-a-week in-office work policy. IBM has started requiring executives and people managers in the US to come to the office at least three days a week. And Salesforce has been mandating select workers to come into the office four to five days a week from October 1.

A Tech Nation survey revealed that 63 per cent of women said they’d look for a job which offered flexibility and home working.

Having a flexible working policy and allowing hybrid working has become one of the most important factors for many candidates, not just women, since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ralph thinks companies need to be cautious when it comes to forcing people back at desks.

“I think companies should be careful when they start giving these policies out. People have enjoyed the benefits and the comforts of hybrid working,” she says.

“If it's a job that can be done remotely, why not allow your staff to do that and trust them to do it?

“I think in cybersecurity, to start pushing people back into offices at a desk, is a bit against the philosophy of what we're trying to protect - the work from anywhere model.”

She adds these calls to return to office working may also have a more adverse effect on the female workforce.

“Women, typically, historically, are the caregiver of the family. Whether they work or not, even if they've got a full-time job, they still have to be the caregiver.

“There’s a risk of losing male talent, too. Men are also picking up a lot of the childcare. So, pushing them back to the office risks driving them away.”

While finding this fine balance is difficult, Ralph highlights how it’s now common for both partners to be working full-time, and so pushing people back to offices may lead staff to question staying with that employer.

“They could risk losing top talent, and I think that would be such a shame, because you're losing that talent just depending on where someone is sitting.”

Share your stories

Not everyone’s career trajectory has followed the perfect five-step-plan set out by an ambitious 18-year-old.

Even so, Ralph believes it’s still important for women in higher level tech positions to share their stories.

“Not all stories of how we got where we are today are perfect. Not everyone’s got degrees and qualifications coming out of their ears. They've just got the experience that's got them to where they are.

“I think it's really important to share that, because there's a perception that some women who come into these really senior roles have gone to Ivy League or top universities.

“Yes, that could be the case for some. But there are others where it's homegrown talent and they've learned through their experience and connections to get into the right place at the right time and really progress their career.

“Opening that dialogue will help build the confidence for women who want to get into the industry, or women who are in the industry but want to change that aspect of their career and their path.”