To mark International Women’s Day in March, SJA explores women in security and how to enhance diversity in the industry.
At a recent roundtable discussion available to listen to as an SJA podcast, key figures from the Security Industry Association’s (SIA) Women in Security Forum (WISF) spoke with Security Journal Americas Editor Victoria Hanscomb.
Joining the conversation on women in security was Alice DiSanto, Chair of the WISF and Co-Chair of the PropelHER subcommittee, Margie Gurwin, Co-Chair of the UpliftHER subcommittee, Chris Peterson, Chair of the SupportHER subcommittee and Dr Elli Reges, Director, Learning and Development and SIA staff liaison to the WISF. To listen to the podcast, click here.
DiSanto kicked off the conversation by explaining that when women are the minority in the majority of situations, there is a wealth of lost potential.
This is what led a group of women and men in the security industry to come together and organize a plan to recruit and support women in the industry, leading to the creation of the WISF.
When the forum was founded in 2018, she was a key figure in its development: “I was part of the original Steering Committee.
“At that time and still to this day, women are underrepresented in the security industry.”
Reges added that even before the WISF was created, Don Erickson, CEO of SIA, was a vital figure in recognizing the need for a women-focused special interest community within the industry and therefore was instrumental in shaping the way the WISF developed and grew.
“In 2018, there was certainly a need to create a group like the WISF that would enable women to network and connect, as well as provide leadership opportunities.
“I think that was really motivated by the long-standing history of female contributors in the SIA and more generally.”
Peterson remarked that there need to be more women in security because if this half of the population is missing from security, then 50% of opportunity is lost from the workforce.
He continued that the ability to communicate reliably, which is a natural skill demonstrated by many women, is highly important for sales and marketing in particular.
For his company, this enables complex information to be relayed in a simple way to customers.
“And I have a daughter – I want her to be able to have whatever job in whatever industry she chooses,” he added.
Gurwin also said that it’s not only crucial to increase women in security, but to keep them.
“I think that the WISF is playing a tremendous role in helping women who sometimes fall into this industry stay,” she said.
“I ended up in security because the company I was with transitioned and there I was.
“Once you’re there, you can make a decision whether you like it or not. If you don’t like it, you’ll leave.”
It’s therefore imperative for there to be places within the industry where women feel heard and connected, while also being able to continuously network so that they feel the desire to stay.
“I know personally, I have felt such a stronger connection to security and to the people I work with since joining the WISF and connecting with other women,” Gurwin added.
“Retaining people within the industry is such a huge aspect,” said Hanscomb. “A big part of that is opportunity – to either learn something new or to network and meet other people.”
Next on the conversation agenda was to explore some of the specific programs that the WISF coordinates – Reges began by highlighting the SIA Women in Security Forum Power 100 recognition program, with the 2024 honorees for this program announced on International Women’s Day.
“We also have a scholarship program, we deliver two keynote series at ISC West and ISC East, we organize charitable giving campaigns in conjunction with those events and we recently launched an ambassador’s program to expand our grassroots efforts to connect women in different locations,” she added.
Another program that Reges commented on was the Security LeadHER conference – which was launched in 2023 as a collaboration between SIA and ASIS International.
“That brought over 300 women in security, representing all facets of the industry, together for a day and a half of networking and learning opportunities.”
DiSanto added that following the inaugural Security LeadHER conference, one of the key benefits that she found was the actionable steps she and many others walked away with.
Some of these were completed within an hour of the conference ending, while others were bigger picture steps.
She highlighted that as far as professional development is concerned, it is important to make sure that all women understand that there are a multitude of job opportunities including for those transitioning from other industries.
Another point she added is that the WISF is open to all – not just women.
Peterson chimed in, saying that looking back at how the industry used to be only 20 years ago, conferences such as ISC West were often filled with men who had been in the industry for many years and the attendees were very homogenous.
“Then you look at it today and it’s a real business event,” he said.
“You have a plethora of different races and many more women, it’s much more professional. It’s a different environment.”
Peterson revealed that when he moved over to security from a different industry in the early noughties, he wondered whether he had made the right move.
Although since then, much progress has been made, he noted that security remains a male dominated field, particularly within its authority and leadership.
“The new committee that I have been asked to chair is bidirectional – firstly is to convey the value of the WISF and women in security in general, so that people absorb the message…
“Secondly, in the other direction, we aim to understand more about the decision makers in our industry and what they think, so that we can make others feel more connected and develop in the right direction.”
Reges summarized that overall, what the WISF does is facilitate conversations more frequently with male colleagues about the experiences of women in security and identify new opportunities where the industry could benefit from gender equality and inclusivity.
“There’s tons of research out there that shows the benefits that diversity on executive boards can bring in terms of productivity, innovation and growth,” she said.
“That’s where security should be moving and I believe that, overall, men are very open to learning about women’s experiences and discussing these challenges and opportunities.
“Having these conversations and appreciating each other’s perspectives helps us as an industry to understand our clients better and the communities we serve.”
The next topic that Hanscomb moved on to was why the conversation about the WISF was even worth having – essentially, why was it worth discussing at all?
“Well, security as a whole is something that affects all of us,” said Gurwin.
“All of us want to feel safe, where we live, work and go about our daily lives. And research shows that women feel unsafe a lot more often than men do.”
For example, she said, when a female nurse gets switched from a day shift to the night shift or daylight savings ends, she might have to walk through the parking lot to her car in the dark.
Due to this, she may quit her job because she doesn’t feel safe.
“Those are the types of conversations that need to happen,” added Gurwin.
“Having more women as stakeholders, both in representing security solutions as well as being the ones deciding what solutions to implement, would proactively eliminate a lot of the obstacles that exist to women succeeding in the workplace.
“So I can’t stress enough how important it is to see women represented not just in the traditional roles of administrator or HR or marketing, but seeing them on the front lines, in the sales force or as decision makers.”
DiSanto also said that when the WISF was being developed, the SIA made sure that there were no preconceived notions built into the organization.
This allowed the WISF to continue to grow, bringing a certain freedom that enabled the creation of subcommittees that might be needed for a specific moment in time.
Additionally, as required, more subcommittees can be formed.
Reges also highlighted that at nearly 2,000 members at the time of recording, the WISF is going from strength to strength.
“The business-to-business buying process has changed more in the last 20 years than it did in the previous 500 years,” Peterson remarked.
“There are many reasons for that, the but the primary reason is that salespeople are no longer the main source of information for their customers.”
He added that before – within the security industry in particular – there would be a very strong bond between a salesperson and a decision maker that would last years, whereas now the internet is the first port of call.
While Peterson strongly emphasized that relationships are still important, their significance in buying decisions has decreased over the last 20 years or so, meaning sales professionals can’t rely as heavily on relationships as they used to.
To succeed as sales professionals, women in security have had to navigate this changing landscape as their presence has increased in the security industry and learn how to present, network and understand technology better to stay competitive in this landscape.
“Because of this they have learned to be better salespeople,” Peterson said.
“What I’m getting at is embracing change is going to help us in the way we communicate and sell to our end users and to bridge that gap between the technology that is advancing at an exponential rate to these end user customers.”
Next, Hanscomb posited the question of what else could be done for women in security – asking what other measures could be taken to increase diversity and inclusion.
Peterson remarked that recruitment is absolutely paramount. Part of this is to make sure that the industry is attractive for both women and men to join.
This is linked to authority in the industry and the proactive choice to promote from within, choosing the candidates that are capable.
“We’ve got to do a better job of being intentional and understanding the skillsets that women will bring and be able to develop at the leadership level,” he said.
Gurwin added that she was very encouraged this year to see the introduction of an ambassador program at the WISF, which is going to expand the presence of the forum into more local communities.
“Hopefully, that will help broaden our reach beyond the people who may attend SIA events or who go to trade shows,” Gurwin said.
“I’m also thrilled to see the scholarship program continuing to grow which provides funds for women, either who are trying to go back to school to improve their education or women who have entered the workforce and are just starting out to pay off college loans.”
She said that this shows the industry is behind them, helping them to grow and reveal what opportunities might exist.
“The other committee that I believe is new this year is the one that will help female entrepreneurs who are trying to start their own business succeed,” she added.
“I went through this seven years ago and it’s challenging.
“Having mentors who can show you the ropes really helps. I relied on a few key people and I’m extremely grateful to them, but having a whole group like the WISF behind you can really help to get your business off the ground.”
DiSanto also encouraged those in the industry to volunteer – with the number of subcommittees at the WISF available, she commented that there is no limitation to what people might be able to consider.
She also said that one very easy way to support women in security is for both women and men to follow the WISF on LinkedIn and engage with its content.
“That way you can get to know us in a passive way without fully committing. Maybe if volunteering is making you nervous, that’s another great way to get involved.”
Lastly, DiSanto also mentioned panels at conferences and events; she explained that one effort started by the WISF is to balance the scales for these opportunities by only having members speak on panels that have at least one woman on them with men.
“These things that seem like small steps are actually pretty darn huge,” she added.
“When you’re presenting visually and audibly like we are today, this is how change begins and this is what it looks like,” DiSanto said.
“Beyond the individual, at the corporations, if this is resonating with anyone in a leadership or ownership position within a company, then you can also get behind WISF as a sponsor.
“We are always hungry for sponsors, whether for the Security LeadHER event or scholarships, it all moves us in the right direction.”
Reges added that at the core of the WISF is to recruit more people into the industry and to transition away from historical views of security; going from “guards and guns” to a highly innovative, technical field more aligned with engineering, computer science and business.
“That kind of rebrand, I think, is helpful in attracting new talent to join our industry,” said Reges.
“But like Chris said, I think formalizing structures for career advancement and empowering women in leadership is really going to make a meaningful change in our industry.
“Likewise, as Margie touched on earlier, being able to keep women in the security industry through groups like the WISF and creating a community that’s inclusive, fosters belonging.”
Lastly, Hanscomb turned to the future of women in security – what might the future look like?
“So bright, I have to wear shades!” said DiSanto. “We’ve come so far in the last five years, that I am very bullish on what lies ahead.”
“I think it’s all very positive,” added Reges. “Being part of conversations like this that are generally raising awareness about the work that the WISF is doing is great.
“However, I think where the rubber meets the road is when you see individuals who are directly impacted by things like scholarship awards being recognized and rewarded for their achievements and their accomplishments.
“That’s what motivates us to keep doing what we’re doing and make a difference.”
“I think there’s an enormous opportunity for the industry,” said Peterson. “The industry needs women. That’s the reason we’re here right now.”
“I’m extremely optimistic too,” concluded Gurwin.
“I’ve seen in the past an increase of women in the manufacturing side of security; companies that develop technology have had women in their forces for quite a while.
“However, there’s been a lag on the integrator side, where a lot of these companies were smaller family-owned businesses; the culture just wasn’t as progressive.
“What I’m seeing now is that energy start to change with women stepping into leadership and these women are bringing in other women to all sorts of new roles.
“So, I’m very excited to see a shift in in what the typical integration business looks like and I’m hopeful that the WISF can help contribute toward making women in these companies feel connected and empowered.”
Alice DiSanto is Vice President of Global Marketing for Rajant Corporation. Before Rajant, Alice was with Sharp Electronics and positioned its first-ever outdoor robot to earn five industry awards within the initial 18 months, a distinction unmatched by other early entries to the ground-based robotics security market. She conceived and curated Robolliance, the industry’s original awareness forum, founded by Sharp, to drive understanding and adoption of autonomous technology. Alice is the current chair of the SIA’s WISF, a community whose mission is to engage all security professionals to promote, recruit and cultivate the leadership of women. Alice is a founding member of the SIA’s WISF Steering Committee and Co-Chair of the forum’s PropelHER, providing inroads for female college and professional athletes into the security industry. She was named to the WISF Power 100 in 2022 and 2023, and was also recognized as SIA’s 2022 Committee Chair of the Year.
Chris Peterson has almost 30 years of experience in sales and sales leadership, with a focus on system integrators. Chris started Vector Firm in 2010 and today it is the leading sales and marketing consulting and training business serving the security technology industry. Vector Firm has worked with over 160 clients on projects ranging from two-day strategic sales planning sessions to multi-year retained engagements. Through its virtual sales training platform, Vector Firm Academy, the organization serves over 520 paid subscribers. Chris is a graduate from the University of Florida, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Margie Gurwin is the Founder and Principal of Content Creation Partners, a boutique content service catering exclusively to clients in the physical security sector. She is an active member of the SIA and WISF, currently serving her third year on the WISF Steering Committee and first as Co-Chair of the WISF UpliftHER (formerly Charitable Giving) subcommittee. She has also donated her time to the WISF AmplifiHER (formerly Scholarship) subcommittee, the inaugural Security LeadHER Conference planning committee and the SIA TIME mentorship program. Before establishing Content Creation Partners in 2017, Margie spent two decades heading marketing teams for several security solution manufacturers and a systems integrator. In 2023, she was named to the WISF Power 100, which recognizes women who lead, inspire and innovate in the global security industry.
Dr Elli Reges is the Director of Learning and Development (L&D) for the SIA and oversees the growth and development of its diverse portfolio of education and career development programs and initiatives. For ten years, Elli has worked with security organizations to develop successful methods to effectively mobilize human capital assets and promote organizational L&D strategies that support bottom-line objectives in quality, efficiency and performance. She serves as a strategic planning partner to various SIA committees and stakeholder groups to identify, assess and implement learning interventions that address critical knowledge and skills gaps within the security industry. She specializes in assessment-based certification and training program development and is among the inaugural group of learning professionals to earn the Certified Credentialing Professional (ICE-CCP) designation. Elli holds a PhD in human capital development and a Master’s degree in political science from the University of Southern Mississippi, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Mississippi.
Listen to the full conversation here.
This article was originally published in the March edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.