'Diverse talent will be critical to cybersecurity’s future': Orange Cyberdefense’s Amy Perez on women, AI and channel change

Ahead of the Women and Diversity in Channel Awards, Amy Perez spoke to CRN about women in cybersecurity, diversity and the opportunities created by AI and market consolidation

What prompted you to enter the Women and Diversity in Channel Awards this year?

"We obviously work in a pretty male-dominated industry, so I think it is super important that we celebrate the women who are in it. At Orange Cyberdefense, women make up around 30 per cent of our workforce.

"There is still work to do, of course, but I am really pleased to say that puts us above the industry average.

"For us, entering was about giving people an opportunity to celebrate the great work the women in our business do. There is so much diverse talent at Orange Cyberdefense, and I think it is really important that we take the time to recognise it."

What would winning this award mean to both your teams and your customers/partners?

"It would mean a lot to my team and to the company if we won any of the awards we are nominated for.

"I am really proud of the diverse talent we have at Orange Cyberdefense, so it would be a brilliant way to celebrate the people behind that and the different skills and perspectives they bring to our customers and partners."

What would you say is your company's proudest achievement over the past year?

"I am really proud that Orange Cyberdefense proactively runs programmes to encourage women in both technical and leadership roles.

"We have Women in Technology and Women in Leadership programmes, and I am very pleased to say that three team members from the UK are taking part. Olivia Keenan from my team was nominated for the Women in Leadership programme too, which is super exciting."

What lessons do you think the industry has learned over the past year and what changes do you think it still needs to make?

"There is such speed of change at the moment across the technology landscape, the threat landscape and the channel landscape — in the way we do business and the way we go to market.

"I think the industry is increasingly realising that technical skills are not the be-all and end-all. Communication, relationships and being able to navigate some of the complexity we face are becoming just as important.

"I also think having people from different backgrounds - and having more women in the team - really helps with that, because so much of it hinges on communication. We still need to broaden the range of people and perspectives we bring into the industry."

What lessons do you think the industry has learned over the past year and what changes do you think it still needs to make?

"The advent of AI has changed the industry enormously over the past year. It is changing the landscape and the skill sets we are going to need in cybersecurity. I do not know exactly what the answer is yet, but I suspect we are going to need a much more diverse set of talent across the sector.

"Things such as communication, negotiation and building relationships are going to become increasingly important.

"We will not be able to stay as traditionally focused on technical roles as we once were; the industry is going to need a much broader mix of skills if it is to keep progressing."

What do you see as the main opportunities for the industry in the coming 12 months? How do you plan to capitalize on those opportunities?

"I think there is a lot of opportunity in the cybersecurity market as the competitive landscape changes.

"We are seeing lots of mergers and acquisitions and a great deal of consolidation, while the big platform players are making moves and hoovering up different technologies. It is going to be super interesting to see who comes out on top — and whether customers opt for the platform play or continue investing in best-of-breed, smaller niche technologies.

"For service providers such as Orange Cyberdefense, there is a real opportunity to take advantage of that changing market and make sure we are delivering solutions that genuinely fit our customers’ requirements.

"That is going to take a whole breadth and depth of different types of people, helping us stay at the forefront of the market and deliver what our customers really need."

This article is sponsored by Orange Cyberdefense.