How PGI Marked International Women’s Day to Encourage More Women To Enter the Cyber Security Sector By Matthew Olney

How PGI Marked International Women’s Day to Encourage More Women To Enter the Cyber Security Sector

By Matthew Olney - Content and Communications Executive at PGI

PGI marked International Women’s Day by giving away over £10,000 worth of Cyber security training. With the gender gap in the cyber security sector remaining wide PGI is doing its best to try and encourage more women to enter the field.

To do this PGI launched a competition via its website that asked three questions related to famous female pioneers in the sector. The prize on offer was a free place on one of three cyber security courses held at the art cyber academy in Bristol. The response to the competition was fantastic and because of that, PGI increased the number of winners from 1 to 3.

The winners were Lisa Ventura, Jo Higgs and Sarah Mason-Flucke.

The cyber security sector is seen as a male dominated arena, but efforts are being made to try and get more women involved. Women considering getting a career in the sector should remember that some of the most influential pioneers of the sector were women. From Hedy Lamarr and Ada Lovelace to Joan Clarke, women have played key roles in the development of computer technology.

The main causes for less women being in the sector is often down to it being perceived as a male dominated area, however, this is changing. Now is a great time for women to seek employment in the cyber security sector. Initiatives to encourage women into the industry are underway, and support groups are in place.

According to the PGI/Harvey Nash Cyber Security Survey 2016 released in January, senior female cyber security professionals were shown to earn more than their male counterparts.

The survey represented the views of almost 200 senior cyber security professionals and showed that the average base salary for senior cyber security professionals is just under £100k per year at around £99,141. Competition between businesses to hire the best people is fierce and that means that wages are likely to remain high or even increase as demand for people with the right skills rises.

The future is looking bright for the cyber security sector and great opportunities for cyber security professionals regardless of their genders are set to arise. Good pay and a choice of roles is another factor that should be considered. With competition between business fierce to hire cyber security professionals, wages are set to see a solid increase.

Women in senior roles in the industry were shown to earn an average salary of £115,714 whilst their male counterparts earn £97,619. The reason why women earn more is likely due to the fact that there are fewer women candidates available in the talent pool. This is combined with a growing demand for diverse IT and leadership teams. In short, female information security professionals can expect to command a salary premium, especially for senior roles.

About PGI

PGI’s mission is to provide high quality, expert and proportionate services, including raising security awareness and providing related certified education.

Whether you are a small company or large organisation, PGI can help make your business as secure as it needs to be. Our team of world-class cyber experts are some of the best qualified in the country, allowing you to rest easy that you are in safe hands with us.

We were also the first company in Europe to open its own cyber academy, a building that gives us the opportunity to provide first class education and cyber security training. PGI operates on a global scale and truly believe our motto, ‘making the world a safer place to do business.’

Whether you need intelligence, risk mitigation or physical security services, PGI is an organisation you can trust to keep your organisation as secure as you need it to be.

Website: www.pgitl.com