CyberPoint's 2015 Women in Cybersecurity Reception
BALTIMORE, MD (December 21, 2015) — Last month, CyberPoint held its 2nd annual Women in Cybersecurity reception, bringing together both leaders and newcomers from private industry, academia and government to celebrate the important role of women in the cybersecurity field. With words from several prominent women including Baltimore mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and CyberPoint's very own co-founder Vicki Gumtow, the event truly captured the interdisciplinary spirit of the technology industry and highlighted the success and achievements of women leaders in all sectors of cybersecurity.
Despite making up more than half of the overall workforce, women account for only one out of every 10 cybersecurity professionals — and even as the cybersecurity industry grows, the gender gap keeps widening. Here at CyberPoint, we see the impact that our female employees make in the office every day, and know how important it is to recognize and empower women in the industry. The Women in Cybersecurity reception is just one of our ways of encouraging women of all careers to learn more about cybersecurity.
"It's no secret that women are the minority in the cybersecurity field," said Jennifer Eiben, CyberPoint's community outreach manager and one of the organizers of the event. "We thought it would be great to help create connections between women who work in our field by holding a networking event for them. We are proud to promote diversity in our field and to encourage women to work together for the betterment of each other."
Senior Advisor Sherri Ramsay, who was the master of ceremonies, agreed. "Together, we can encourage other women to become a part of the cybersecurity community," she said. "In the future, I hope that more women will choose cybersecurity and other STEM-related fields for their careers — seeing women be successful will hopefully encourage other women to follow in their footsteps.
Held at our Baltimore office, the event not only highlighted the role of Women in Cybersecurity but also emphasized the interdisciplinary perspective that CyberPoint holds for the technology field. Through an open call to female artists by the Maryland Art Place, CyberPoint commissioned a special work of art commemorating Women in Cybersecurity made by local Baltimore sisters Anna and Caroline Zellhofer.
"It was exciting and interesting to research a new field in which we had never been apart of," Caroline stated, "and it was refreshing to meet so many dedicated and like-minded individuals — it's imperative to have passion for advancement and technology."
"While the technical aspects were unfamiliar, what attracted Caroline and I was the innovation within the cybersecurity industry," Anna affirmed. "We definitely could relate to that."
It's only been our second year hosting our Women in Cybersecurity reception, but we're already looking forward to having many more — the future for women in the industry is bright, and we want to be a lead contributor. As CyberPoint co-founder Vicki Gumtow said in her toast for the night, the event is about so much more than just cybersecurity for women: "It's about strengthening our relationships and forming new ones; It's about creating networks, inspiring one another, learning from one another, and helping one another succeed."
About CyberPoint
At CyberPoint, we work to create a future where individuals and organizations from across the globe can operate safely and securely in cyberspace and benefit from the technological innovations that increasingly connect our world. A rapidly growing cybersecurity company, CyberPoint integrates and delivers innovative, leading-edge services, solutions, and products to protect what's invaluable to customers worldwide. We discover the threats and vulnerabilities that expose data, systems, and infrastructure to compromise, we quantify risks, and we design defenses that provide critical protection. Learn more here.
CONTACT: CyberPoint International, LLC, media@cyberpointllc.com.