Message from the Chair

As cybersecurity professionals, we are no strangers to unexpected events and chaotic schedules. We can easily get swept up in preventing or responding to the next big incident or tackling other items on our to-do list. For most, these are the things that attracted them to the field in the first place. However, if we’re not careful the things we like about our work environments can also have negative impacts on us. This is not going unnoticed as I have seen an uptick in articles and blogs reminding cybersecurity professionals how to avoid burnout and the importance of mental and physical health.

While I highly recommend you check those resources out because they provide valuable suggestions, I would like to encourage one other practice as well – to occasionally reflect on why you are in your role and how you can give back to others in the field. Many of you probably include some form of wanting to help others or help create a secure internet as part of your reasons for why you do the work, but are you giving back?

You’re probably thinking, but you just acknowledged that cybersecurity professionals tend to have busy lives. Wouldn’t giving back to the community add to my stress? While it sounds counterintuitive, it could reduce some of the chaos on your team. For example, when you attend a FIRST event it is easy to meet new people that either work in similar organizations or face similar challenges. If you maintain those friendly connections after the event, they can develop into an excellent informal information sharing network. If fostered correctly, they can later evolve into formal, institutionalized information sharing efforts. Now, the next time your team is tackling a crisis, you have an extended network of people and organizations that you may be able to leverage for information, remediation advice, or other support. All of which can improve your team’s performance and reduce the likelihood of scrambling mid-crisis to determine who to reach out to or identify contact information. Wouldn’t you want to be that resource for someone else also? After all, effective information sharing should be bidirectional.

With the annual conference fast approaching, I encourage you to set a goal for yourself to not only make new connections but to actively maintain those connections after the conference. Don’t forget to also share your experiences with those team members that were not able to attend. For those not able to attend this year, find a few of FIRST’s slack channels that are relevant to you and become a contributor to the discussions.

Contributions to the community do not need to be grandiose or visible to many. The smallest of actions can have a positive ripple effect. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The purpose of life is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

I look forward to helping you make connections in Fukuoka!

Published on FIRST POST:Apr-Jul 2024