The young pioneer among men in the field of information security
· Materiaalit · This Is Not a Webinar 2021 · Virtuaalitapahtuma
Camilla Colliander welcomes women into the world of information security with open arms.
Camilla Colliander works as an information security consultant in Accenture’s application security team. After high-school, Colliander applied for an Open University’s software course. The course went well and excitedly Colliander decided to take one more course. And another. And another. Soon the inspiring and interesting world of technology had sucked her in.
After a year, she applied to the University of Helsinki for IT-studies. She ended up at Accenture for a summer job post and is still working there, 4 years later. Colliander describes her work as versatile project-based work which offers her possibilities to learn and try out new things. The IT-field is logical yet creative at the same time. This combination fits Colliander the best. The field of information security mainly consists of men. This is a motivational source for Colliander.
“The information security is my thing. I wanted to go and conquer my own place from the field, as a woman. I believe that women belong in information security jobs and we could use more of them here!” she says.
A plan to become the Specialist with a capital S
Colliander used to be a bit concerned about how she would fit into a team of guys, especially, if she was the only woman there. This fear ended up being useless. Colliander says she has never faced any issues for her gender at work. She loves her team and colleagues. Her work at Accenture has given her a possibility to continue her master’s degree studies while working. When asked about her future, Colliander laughs.
“I want to learn everything I can about information security. I wish to become an important specialist in my own field, so that I can say ‘I’m one of the best this field has to offer’. A Specialist with a capital S. Quite a ‘modest’ plan, isn’t it?”
You belong!
Colliander admits that when she was young, she suffered from imposter syndrome, thinking that she was a lot worse than she really was. Now, Colliander would say to her younger self don’t worry: You belong here. You’re good at what you’re doing. You are valid. For women wishing to begin their journey in technology, Colliander reminds us that there is so much more than just coding.
“We have a need for different technological fields. For example, if you already have a degree from art, finances, or biology, you probably have no idea about how much technology is connected to those fields, too.” Colliander is happy that the knowledge of the Mimmit koodaa-program grows annually. She is glad to be part of the project as one of the event speakers. “We need more women in technology!”
50/50 Gender balance in a workforce by 2025
Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, Accenture offers Strategy and Consulting, Interactive, Technology and Operations services — all powered by the world’s largest network of advanced technology and intelligent operations centers.
Their 537,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries. Accenture as a company embraces the power of change to create value and shared success for their clients, people, shareholders, partners, and communities. Accenture has been a reliable partner to Mimmit koodaa for various activities for some time.
“Their mission really aligns with our values, as people, inclusion and diversity are core parts of our business, specifically having a diverse inclusive workplace. We really want to empower people from all backgrounds, and female talent should be in tech,” says Stefanie Radecki from Accenture.
Accenture has a bold goal to have 50/50 gender balance in their workforce by 2025. It is not only an idea, but Accenture is actively working on it, doing what they can within the company.
“We want to keep the discussion open to see where we could do even better as a company and where we need to change,” Radecki says.
Accenture openly welcomes all employees from various backgrounds and keeps the discussion of these important company values open within the company. If we want change in the field of technology, making workplaces diverse and equal, we all must work together.
This Is Not a Webinar
Camilla Colliander spoke about security at the Mimmit Koodaa event in the spring of 2021. The name of the speech is “How to become a Security Champion” and its’ presented as follows:
Security has undergone a transformation out of its original rigid shell. The world of software development has become more agile. Following this, security had to change too. Becoming a Security Champion is at the heart of security today. You’ll learn what that means and what that means to the modern security. And why security is now calling all kinds of profiles – not just the super technical.
The visual note has been made by Päivi Kokko from HiQ.
