An interview with Valeria Scribanti, a Technical Options Specialist with give attention to cybersecurity.
Welcome to the Cisco Ladies in Cybersecurity’s weblog collection, the place we spotlight the tales of the mentors who’ve impressed and advocated for the careers of these in our group. This collection seeks to indicate the significance of allyship, connection, and the way completely different the journeys will be right into a profession in cybersecurity.
Interviewer Intro:
Valeria and I met quickly after I joined Cisco in 2021. We’re each a part of the “Swiss Cybersecurity Ladies” group, which is an inside on-line group for ladies in cybersecurity based mostly in Switzerland. Through the years, Valeria and I stayed in contact, scheduling a digital espresso or sending one another fascinating articles. Final 12 months we even received an opportunity to fulfill in individual at Cisco Stay in Amsterdam. The factor that strikes me about Valeria is her upbeat perspective, power and tenacity. This interview is an opportunity for me to seek out out extra about Valeria’s path into cybersecurity and her secret to staying constructive in an business with an inclination to give attention to the darkish aspect of affairs.
Questions:
-
What impressed you to pursue a profession in cybersecurity?
I’ve at all times been very concerned with know-how from a curiosity perspective, though rising up I didn’t see myself as a really nerdy individual. I’m a millennial, so I grew up in an surroundings the place know-how was not all that current. I nonetheless keep in mind the primary time I noticed an iPod; it actually fascinated me as a tool, and I instantaneously needed to seek out out all about its workings. Later, when my father purchased his first laptop computer and he was programming in Visible Studio at residence in the future, I caught my first glimpse of code and that received me hooked. From there I understood that know-how is what I needed to do, and I made a decision to enroll first in a bachelors engineering program at Politecnico di Torino after which proceed with the double diploma grasp’s program between the Politecnico di Torino and the Hamburg College of Know-how (TUHH).
So, it was actually about instinct and curiosity which led me to decide on know-how as a career. Properly, that and the truth that I used to be enjoying a whole lot of Nintendo with my brother.
-
What was your first foot within the door – the place did you begin?
My research in Italy laid the inspiration for my later work in cybersecurity. As a scholar within the Computer systems and Communication Community Engineering program, I received to play with a whole lot of Cisco know-how, studying switching and routing. But, as a complete, the college program was quite theoretical and analysis oriented. It was not till I went to Germany for the trade program that I took an awesome course on cybersecurity with a professor from the business. I used to be fascinated with the subjects he lined on this class – buffer overflow, SQL injections, cross-site scripting. Instances have modified these days, however again then one of these course was not a typical a part of the college curriculum. The subject felt so new and tremendous thrilling to me that I made a decision to contemplate cybersecurity as a doable course after commencement.
I landed my first job quickly after ending my grasp’s diploma. The college helped us discover a place so for me it was a extremely easy transition. The job market again then supplied loopy variety of alternatives, in contrast to the present scenario.
-
How do you know what function precisely you wish to go for?
By doing the interviews I truly received to know extra concerning the completely different roles, what day-to-day actions they contain and what trajectory I might observe if I have been to hitch.
-
How has your profession developed since your preliminary begin?
My first function was a Community and Safety Engineer at a system integrator firm in Italy. I nonetheless keep in mind the interview with them. We began off with some simple to reply questions, reminiscent of “what’s a firewall?”. The following questions, nevertheless, have been subjects which have been completely new to me again then, reminiscent of what an IPS (intrusion prevention system) and defense-in-depth and many others. Trying again, I feel that the interviewers posed these inquiries to hone my urge for food for the subject and reveal that they have been coping with cutting-edge know-how. Through the interview they defined the rules of these safety merchandise and confirmed me what the function would entail.
As a customer-facing engineer there, I started working with a whole lot of Cisco know-how, in addition to different distributors. The very best a part of this function was the chance to do hands-on work with actual initiatives and actual accountability. As a junior engineer, I felt each scared and motivated to be on website with clients and do issues stay, however that is how I discovered tons about safety structure design, implementation and configuration of various safety merchandise reminiscent of firewalls, IPS, WAF, anti-virus, and many others.
In some unspecified time in the future I started working with the Cisco Safe Community Analytics (previously Stealthwatch) crew on a venture. By speaking with them I found different sorts of roles inside cybersecurity. The work of a safety gross sales engineer, who’s liable for creating and designing proof of worth (POV) for safety merchandise, actually clicked with me and I joined Cisco in 2018. That’s how I moved from the extra technically oriented operations into a task with a mixture of arduous and gentle abilities.
One of many issues that I actually love concerning the TSS function is that I get to work with international clients and as a part of a world crew, work together with completely different cultures and put into observe the a number of languages that I converse. I spotted the truth that I additionally take pleasure in working intently with clients, listening to their wants and being a trusted advisor, somebody that clients can depend on all through the entire course of.
-
What’s the one factor you want you had recognized at the beginning of your cybersecurity profession?
I made a whole lot of decisions for my profession based mostly on a intestine feeling. My instinct served me nicely however trying again, I might have used some extra steering and knowledge to determine which course I ought to take. There are such a lot of completely different paths that exist on the market and it’s value exploring them earlier than deciding on a selected profession.
How to try this? A method is to hitch cybersecurity communities which can be close to you and discover out extra about these completely different roles. Speak to professionals who’re already within the subject and take heed to their perspective.
-
What’s your single most vital piece of recommendation to individuals contemplating a profession in cybersecurity?
Hang around with individuals who like cybersecurity – you’ll be taught quite a bit!
We’d love to listen to what you assume. Ask a Query, Remark Beneath, and Keep Linked with Cisco Safe on social!
Cisco Safe Social Channels
Share:
