FeatureLayale’s main responsibilities include analysing customers’ cybersecurity requirements, mapping security challenges to effective solutions, presenting BeyondTrust technologies, and supporting organisations in their technology evaluation process. The role itself requires both technical and sales skills; the solutions engineer should be equipped with product expertise, general industry knowledge, and a sales mindset.
One of the main skills, Layale has built over the last few years is having a receptive mindset. Once she stepped into the cybersecurity industry, she quickly realised that the best thing she can do to grow professionally, is absorb as much knowledge as possible from experienced people around her.
Women are thriving as cybersecurity professionals because they proved themselves as valuable human resources
For this reason, Layale always welcomes feedback, comments, constructive criticism, and praise. Not only does it make it easier for other people to work with her, but it also allows her to constantly develop by learning from past experiences.
Self-confidence and decisiveness are additional traits that Layale has really honed over the course of her career. Work experiences have helped Layale build confidence in her technical aptitude and ability to deliver positive business outcomes.
Diversity in general increases productivity, creativity, and collaboration
Layale believes that it is harder for women to gain the respect, that they deserve, in the field. Though this is not a general attitude towards women in cybersecurity, it does occur. The problem is that women tend to doubt themselves, instead of questioning the intention of other people, which reflects badly on confidence and leadership competence.
It is harder for women to gain the respect they deserve in the field
Nonetheless, women are thriving as cybersecurity professionals, not only because they proved themselves as valuable human resources to organisations but also because the world is doing a much better job at accepting and empowering women in different types of businesses.
We are constantly seeing women step up and assume leadership roles across many types of different organisations worldwide. While gender used to play a role in the past, Layale really believes that enough women have created success stories for us not to even consider this gender question anymore.
In a male dominated field, women can offer new perspectives and work methodologies
In fact, technology companies have acknowledged an unjustified gender gap and are actively promoting diversity in the workplace. This notion of acceleration or inhibition due to gender will soon vanish completely.
Women are thriving as cybersecurity professionals because the world is doing much better at empowering women
Layale believes that characteristics are individual, not gender related, but diversity in general increases productivity, creativity, and collaboration. Specifically, in a male dominated field, women can offer new perspectives and work methodologies. She does see it first-hand within the iMEA team at BeyondTrust where they have several women in roles spanning channel, solution engineering, marketing and sales.
Layale always enjoys exchanging technical knowledge with other people. One of her most favourite experiences was delivering, at a really young age, a technical five-day training class to a large group of IT managers and systems administrators. She was the only woman in the room and was also by far the youngest person.
While gender used to play a role in the past enough women have created success stories
The reason why the experience is so memorable for Layale is because it proved to her that regardless of age or gender, a qualified person will always gain the respect he or she deserves. After that training, she was overwhelmed with positive feedback and also gained lifelong friends.
Characteristics are individual not gender related
Layale enjoys working in a space, offering solutions to modern cybersecurity threats and challenges. Furthermore, not only does she get to work with cutting edge technologies but to the point on diversity, being part of the iMEA team, Layale gets to work with outstanding men and women from diverse backgrounds and cultures which makes the experience so much more enriching.
Technology companies have acknowledged an unjustified gender gap and are promoting diversity in workplace, with this notion expected to vanish completely.
