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Ashley Devoto: Breaking Glass Ceilings in a Bold New Frontier

By Mike Pallagi, Senior Copywriter, CISO Global, Inc.

CISO Global President and Chief Information Security Officer Ashley Devoto’s career stands as a powerful source of inspiration to women in tech and aspiring cyber leaders everywhere. In a 3,000-word cover story for the February 2023 issue of CIO Views Magazine, Ashley shares her thoughts on a variety of topics, including her:

Ashley Devoto Breaking Ceilings CISO Global's blog featured image
  • Auspicious military debut: “I distinctly remember my early years as an Air Force cyberspace operations officer, and how privileged I felt to get to fight on the front lines of the cyber war with colleagues who made every day stimulating and fun — despite the criticality of the mission.”
  • First foray into the private sector after the military: “I took a role at ExxonMobil as a business analyst — something very different from my operational experience in the military. Although I had several college internships in corporate America, the transition was a big adjustment. But I learned a lot during my time there to complement my technical skills and experience.”
  • Take on cybersecurity in business today: “It’s a journey, and I’ve learned that most organizations are still at the point where they’re working to implement and operationalize the fundamentals. It’s really become a mantra of sorts, excelling at the basics, because it’s a perspective rooted in years of firsthand experience and observation and tethered to real-world data.”
  • Views on what it means that CISO Global’s chief information security officer is its president, too: “In short, we are ‘walking the walk,’ not just ‘talking the talk!’”
  • Acquisition approach for CISO Global: “The strategic intent will be the bedrock of our culture. It will drive our hiring. It will drive our go-to-market strategy. It will drive our inorganic growth strategy and pipeline. It will drive our services portfolio. Everything flows from strategic intent.”
  • Love for the industry: “[I] geek out on innovation as much as the next techie, as there are some truly innovative and game-changing tools emerging — specifically around anti-ransomware mitigations.”
  • Belief that an important part of her job is to be CISO Global’s toughest customer: “My team knows that I want to be ‘Client Zero,’ so that I get firsthand insight on the customer experience … In one word — I bring authenticity; I empathize deeply with the challenges our clients face, because we are shoulder-to-shoulder in the trenches of this cyber fight.”
  • Greatest achievement so far: “I am proud to have been part of the initial cadre of cyber operators in the military who, together, have largely shaped where both the military and the industry have gone in the cybersecurity domain.”
  • Advice for leaders looking to build cybersecure organizations: “… I encourage leaders to embrace the hybrid model (of buy/build and/or insource/out-source) to accelerate ‘speed to effectiveness’ for your program and to bring in the right partners to turbocharge your mission.”
  • Approach to achieving work/life balance: “We all have a limit when it comes to scale, and having a team of people you can rely on is essential to longevity. Prioritize finding and developing your ‘crew’ to help load balance!”

Click here to read the full article now: Ashley Devoto: Developing the Next Generation of Cyber Leaders with Authenticity & Passion.

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