The value of approachability in cybersecurity

The key to being a successful cybersecurity expert is to be approachable and understand the needs of others.

Cybersecurity is a continuous process that touches on many critical organizational functions. It is, therefore, a bad idea to run it in a silo that is unapproachable by teams from other departments. 

When cybersecurity personnel are approachable, people feel more comfortable consulting them and following their instructions. This helps in creating a safety-first culture that can improve the overall security posture of an organization and also help people in their day to day lives.

Our guest today is Tracy Z. Maleeff, a Security Researcher with the Krebs Stamos Group. She previously held the roles of Information Security Analyst at The New York Times Company and Cyber Analyst for GlaxoSmithKline. She is a dedicated practitioner and promoter of empathy in cybersecurity. 

In this episode, you’ll learn the importance of being approachable as a cybersecurity expert and how it can make your work easier. Plus, Tracy shares a few simple initiatives an organization can undertake to promote a safety-first security culture. Additionally, you'll find out how people feel about empathy in cybersecurity in Europe versus North America.

In this episode, you will learn:

• How Tracy ended up in cybersecurity after working as a librarian (04:10)
• A common misconception about practicing empathy in cybersecurity (16:19)
• Initiatives that can truly help organizations strengthen their cybersecurity culture (29:12)
• How Europeans perceive cyber empathy and its role (34:09)

Connect with Tracy:

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• Twitter
• YouTube

Let’s connect!

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