When COVID-19 swept across the world, we all felt like we lost a sense of security. Our health, our economy, our ability to move freely around the world—all that changed overnight and we were struggling for answers as to how, why, and what to do about it.

In a way, we all lived through a global, human security breach. The kind that, on a different scale and with different consequences, organizations try to avoid every day. Ramping up security became a big priority during the pandemic, with workforces that had never worked offsite before abruptly switching to work from home. Avanade responded by expanding up our infrastructure team to put more focus on cybersecurity.

As we grow our cybersecurity team to meet increasing market demand, we want to stay mindful of our deep commitment to inclusion and diversity. We firmly believe that we work better as a team when that team includes a multitude of perspectives and lived experiences. To truly understand clients, we need to reflect them more. When we’re working with clients, we need to understand their needs. We cannot fully do that unless there is diversity in thought and what keeps people up at night.

To serve our clients well and to fulfill our desire to be a place where people can grow and thrive, we are striving to be an employer of choice in this space. We began working with Jane Frankland, a cybersecurity expert, author, and champion of women in the industry, has been helping us figure out how to be an attractive space. Jane is helping us understand experiences of women in security community so they thrive.

We know an important part of building a strong community is sharing stories. In that spirit, Jane will be hosting panel discussions with some of our female cybersecurity experts from Europe and North America. Come discover what it takes to succeed in this field—both what you can bring to the table and what you should ask of an organization.