SP(HER)E Program Addresses Lack of Diversity in Cybersecurity

SPHERE, a woman-owned cybersecurity business, is taking on the lack of diversity in cybersecurity. Today the company announced the launch of SP(HER)E. The interactive channel highlights female leadership in cybersecurity and provides a platform for them to communicate their own career journeys.

The initiative will highlight diverse women and allies in security each month. This allows them to share their experiences and inspire others in their career growth and efforts. The program will also partner with local companies to recruit recent high school graduates to join SPHERE for a short-term internship. During that internship they will have the opportunity to shadow a female executive, receive coaching and development advice from female leaders and perform practice interviews and engage in resume building.

The cybersecurity industry is facing a dire talent shortage. The size of the labor force is 65% less than it needs to be. And this is at a time when cybercrime is costing the world $6 trillion annually. Breaking the problem down further, less than 25% of the employees currently in the cybersecurity industry self-identify as women. To actively address this talent and diversity shortage in the industry, SP(HER)E will invest in and recruit young women looking to make their mark in the security space by offering them hands-on experience and professional advice.

“Have Big Goals and Grand Ambition”

New Jersey-based SPHERE provides best-of-breed software and services for access governance across data, platforms and applications. It was founded in 2010 by Rita Guverich, who currently serves as CEO.

SPHERE’s Rita Guverich

“The intent of SP(HER)E is to empower young women to achieve greatness,” Guverich said. “We want them to get really excited about the opportunity to have career growth, and for them to see what it’s like to be an executive in the industry. Our hope is that we can encourage them to have big goals and grand ambition to take up space in our industry.”

SP(HER)E’s interactive channel will include and highlight women of all backgrounds and places in their career growth. It will share new journeys monthly and invite young women to experience the world of cybersecurity through hands-on experience and engaging professional development programs. By doing so, the program will take a leading role in implementing the first foundational step in addressing not only the cybersecurity labor shortage and skills gap, but also the lack of diversity throughout the industry as a whole.