See Yourself in Cyber

Chapter 7The Power of Diversity and Inclusion in Cybersecurity: Safeguarding the Digital Frontier

It's an interconnected world, and cyber threats loom large. Those threats take on many forms from a wide variety of peoples. They're a diverse bunch and, as a result, quite creative in their approaches to the offensive security that make them a threat. To defend against this army of malice, you need an equally diverse talent pool. Unfortunately, we are far from that desired state at present.

In November 2022, The Ponemon Institute released a study titled “Achieving Diversity in the U.S. Cybersecurity Industry.” It outlined an approach to increase diversity talent pools across the United States and highlighted where we, as a country and an industry, are falling short today. The Ponemon Institute surveyed 3,870 individuals in the United States who are cybersecurity practitioners about the state of diversity in their organizations. I discuss some of those findings later in this chapter; however, first, I define what I mean by diversity in cyber and then talk about some of the benefits of adopting a proactive diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiative as a critical part of a successful cybersecurity strategy.

The significance of diversity and inclusion in cybersecurity cannot be overstated. Diversity and inclusion encompass more than just gender and ethnicity; they embrace a multitude of perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds. By fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce, the cybersecurity ...