Why I’m Proud to Protect Billions of People Worldwide
I decided to pursue a career in IT after working as a support engineer for internal employees as part of my very first job. It immediately opened my eyes to something that I found as interesting as I did shocking: Lots of people don’t understand information security — and what’s more, they don’t protect their personal data.
You lock your doors, insure your house — so why not take the same care with your data? Data literacy and security isn’t something that’s taught in schools, and I know it’s something that’s come around pretty recently. However, it’s a real minefield, and it’s so easy to be caught out if you’re someone that doesn’t know what to do or where to look for advice.
In my role as a security incident responder, I’m proud that I get to help people with their education regarding information security. I ensure they stay safe from cyberthreats by monitoring events, alerting and triaging customers, and managing the SOCC’s prioritization of incidents. I communicate alert details to customers, while gathering important, relevant security details for our security architects to assess the next steps needed to protect them. I also lead a team dedicated to supporting Akamai’s Japanese customers that focuses on providing the highest quality of security services in the region.
My path in security expertise started initially after joining Akamai over three years ago as a SOCC technician, which is equivalent to security incident responder in the current job family. Then, after a year or so, I took the initiative to become a team lead of Tokyo SOCC — and I’ve never looked back.
For anyone new to the industry or to Akamai, I have two pieces of advice:
Cut yourself some slack when learning new stuff. Everyone feels a little lost when faced with a whole new domain of knowledge. Just remember that once you dig into it, it’s not as complex as it first appears.
Find yourself a mentor who has a similar background to you and is already in a position you’re aiming for. That way, you know where you want to be and can get the right advice for getting there.
Once you’ve done those things, you can enjoy the ride — after all, you’re at one of the best CDN and cybersecurity solutions companies in the industry!
