Jadee Hanson on Cybersecurity as a Team Sport and Insider Risk

Early Career and Education

• 💡 Jadee Hanson's interest in technology began in high school, where she worked for free for the technology coordinator to learn more.
• 💻 She initially pursued computer science in college but switched to computer information systems for its greater business focus, graduating in three years.
• 👩‍💻 Hanson noted the significant underrepresentation of women in her technology classes, particularly in computer science.

Cybersecurity Career Path

• 🚀 Her first cybersecurity job offer was at Microsoft, but she declined it to stay in the same city as her fiancé.
• 🛡️ She began her career in cybersecurity at Deloitte, working in enterprise risk services and performing early forms of penetration testing.
• 🎯 At Target, she was involved in building their cybersecurity program and experienced the large-scale data breach.
• 🏢 Joining Code 42 in 2016, she was excited to help build security products, particularly focusing on insider risk solutions.

Insider Risk and Team Collaboration

• 🤝 Hanson emphasizes that cybersecurity is a team sport, with success coming from collective effort rather than individual leadership.
• 📈 The increase in collaboration software and job mobility highlights the growing importance of addressing insider risk.
• 🎯 Her team's utopia is to be proactive in anticipating and responding to changes in the security landscape.
• 🚀 She aims to remove roadblocks and support her team so they can perform their best work.

Personal Growth and Mentorship

• 🌟 Hanson is inspired by her current boss, an incredible mentor and leader.
• ⛰️ She actively seeks to do things that scare her every day, embracing the mantra "be brave enough to suck at something new."
• 💬 She values seeking opinions from across the company when making decisions.

Advice for Aspiring Professionals

• 💖 For young women interested in cybersecurity or technology, her advice is to get involved and stay curious.
• 🤝 She believes the lack of visible mentors who look like them can deter young adults from pursuing tech careers.
• ✨ She encourages aspiring professionals to embrace their interests, stating that it's okay to love fashion and cybersecurity simultaneously.