Lujaina Said Al-Mandhari
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Internet and E-Security
University: University of Technology and Applied Science
What interested you to take up Cybersecurity as your field in your undergraduate degree? *
Cybersecurity is a continuously changing field, the more I learnt about it the more I was intrigued about the challenges and the developments in this field and it was one of the reasons why chose cybersecurity as my core specialization in my undergrad.
Was there a particular course / or courses that enjoyed in your college?
Each course we studied in college complement each other, but the most enjoyable course was Linux System Administration.
How did you apply for Securado’ s Security Analyst jr opening?
I was trained in Advance cybersecurity for the last two years for WorldSkills Kazan 2019 competition, our trainer Dr Manal Al Rawahi suggested me to apply for Securedo and they later contacted me.
Are you happy with Securado’s work culture?
Yes
What are your current responsibilities as a Security Analyst jr?
As a Security Analyst jr, I’m seeking to develop my self as a security analyst to get more experience and achieve my goals. Our day-to-day work includes looking for incidents. We deal with three levels of incident tracking which includes High, Medium and Low where High-level incident being critical, we analyze these incidents and help in remediation measure and report our findings to our senior management.
Did you face any challenges as a Security Analyst jr so far? Explain how did you overcome it. (You can explain both technical or organisational challenges )
Yes, my first challenge, to study what the team gave me as I can to get a CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) certificate. And, my second challenge, to start to learn the SIEM solution tool. Other than these I haven’t faced any challenge that I was not able to overcome. My colleagues are extremely friendly and help me to understand any problem I face in my line of work.
Are you interested in pursuing higher education in the same field or a different field?
Yes for sure, but right now I am excited to continue in cybersecurity until I get an opportunity to pursue higher education in the same field.
Did you find any roadblocks because you were a young woman in tech?
Yes, some people in my network did have strong opinions about the field I choose due to the lack of women in cybersecurity, they also suggested that women work better as software engineers or in-office front desks receptionists rather than working hands-on in security operations but I did what I want to do without listening to negative people at all.
We also faced many challenges when we were trying to find mentors or better opportunities in the field. We are lucky that in Securado we did not face such discrimination and they helped us learn and improve our skills, hopefully, in the future, we will make them proud of our achievements in cybersecurity as women.
Do you think the current Covid situation has changed your work for better or worse?
Always for better, we did not stop our work because of the Covid pandemic we adapted and learn more skills, we support each other, where some of us continue to serve Oman from home and come back to the office with full hopes and confidence.
Just following safety precautions and together we are more productive and proud to serve Oman.
What are your aspirations for your future?
I want to be an expert in my field and also I want to get more industrial certificates, then I want to pursue my higher education and upgrade myself.
Do you have any message for young women who are interested in tech?
Yes, Your direction is more important than your speed, believe in yourself and start learning what you interest in it and you can do it.
