Women in Security

At a time when information security professionals are more in demand than ever, a newly released report, Women in Security: Wisely Positioned for the Future of InfoSec examines key differences between men and women in the industry, the current and future outlook for women in the information security field, and the unique skills women possess to fill pertinent information security positions today.

The report, released in partnership by (ISC)², Frost & Sullivan and Booz Allen Hamilton, is based on the research from the 2015 (ISC)2’s Global Information Security Workforce Studies (GISWS) which surveyed nearly 14,000 global professionals.

The Women in Security report revealed that the number of women in InfoSec employment has remained stagnant at 10 percent over the past few years. That’s far from the whole story though—as the data shows that women have made significant strides in several key measures:

• More women with undergraduate degrees in computer science and engineering (two of the three most common degrees among InfoSec professionals) 
• More women with either a Master’s or Doctorate degree than men (58% vs 47%)
• More women in governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) roles than men (19% vs 12%)

It is significant to note that both men and women surveyed expect the GRC function to gain prominence in response to the growing need to embed the practice of InfoSec deeper into managing overall business risk. With women already leading in GRC roles, this places women in a position to help define and drive the future of the InfoSec profession. Organizations can take steps to promote the profession among girls and women early in their education. Organizations can also make InfoSec more appealing to women candidates, such as pairing new hires with mentors, adapting compensation plans to better align with flexible working arrangements and providing diverse training options, which women expressed as important in retaining and engaging InfoSec professionals.