What do you do and what is it about your job that gets you out of bed in the morning?
The short answer on what I do and what gets me out of bed in the morning is working with a brilliant group of people to come up with features and products that protect digital identities. And knowing that we’re protecting citizens from all backgrounds and demographics across the world is what gets me out of bed in the morning.
The longer answer is that I lead a product management team at Microsoft that develops innovative ways to prevent and detect the emerging threats against digital identity for over a billion consumer and enterprise accounts – this includes fraud, abuse, and compromise. We do that by leveraging AI and machine learning to identify anomalies and support consumers and enterprises in preventing, detecting, and remediating those anomalies. For as long as I can remember, despite being quiet by nature, I’ve stood up to bullies and rooted for the underdog and I believe that’s a big part of what I do now. Most people don’t spend a lot of time in the world of digital identity and cybersecurity and may not be aware of the different tactics bad actors (bullies) are trying to use against them, which is where me and my team come in to help provide protections.
Another big part of what gets me out of bed in the morning to go do this work is that I love superhero movies and I’m a big fan of Marvel - I’m inspired by the idea of good triumphing in an epic battle, and it’s amazing to me that I get the joy of having a career that allows me to do that in both big and small ways every day.
How did you get to where you are today?
I started off as an application developer who was also responsible for application security. The application security team saw that I had a strong aptitude for that area and offered me a role. This was back when security isn’t the “hot” field that it is now, but I enjoy a challenge and like I mentioned earlier, I tend to root for the underdog, so I took a chance on different career path. It was the best decision I ever made. That path in application security has allowed me to bridge into governance, risk and compliance, identity and access management, security architecture, and now leading a product management team focused on digital identity protection.
What is the most important lesson you have learned along the way?
It’s hard to pick one item on this, every day I’m learning new lessons and they all play a role in who I am and who I’m becoming. I would say one of the key lessons I’ve learned, especially in the latter years of my career, has been the importance of being intentional in every area of life. Be in the driver’s seat of your career. There’s a quote about “if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there” and it’s easy to miss out on time and opportunities if you aren’t being thoughtful about what road you want to take.
What's your pitch to CEOs in the identity space? What do you suggest they START / STOP / CONTINUE doing and why?
I remember a time when identity wasn’t recognized as the cornerstone of IT security that it is today and so my suggestions line up with embracing our time to shine. I would encourage CEOs to look at how technologies and experiences are converging, with digital identity as the enabler, and START developing plans of how you stay in front of these shifts and what that means for your business. Look across all demographics and how they are using technologies and integrating technology into their life, especially the younger demographic since they will be the consumers and workforce of the future and they’ll expect that the capabilities that they have now that allow them to seamlessly connect with others in a digital world across multiple devices is going to translate into their work experience as well. Start building for the “bring your own identity” experience.
What needs to STOP is expecting the average citizen to know what we know about identity and security. We need to stop using acronyms and highly technical language around it. Digital identity goes beyond the corporate world and beyond the IT department and we need to communicate in a way that makes it easier for all people to embrace messages around identity and identity protection.
What should CONTINUE is digital identity being the bridge that opens doors for improved life experiences. We should continue to share the message that identity management and protection is the central component of a strong security program for organizations and why it’s so important to protect it. “With great power comes great responsibility”.
What pocket of knowledge from the identity world is something you think everybody should know?
This is not isolated to the identity world, but something I think everybody should know is that you have to keep learning. The digital world is evolving so quickly and you should have a vested interest in learning what that means for your digital identity and the people you care about. You should care both from the protection standpoint but also the possibility standpoint – what new doors can open for you because of the combination of innovation, technology and digital identity.
In one sentence, why does diversity matter to you?
There’s so much beauty in diversity - It’s a part of what makes life enjoyable
What advice would you give to the teenage 'you'?
There are two things I would say. First, speak up, use your voice and don’t shrink back. The second is don’t make choices out of fear, but make them out of possibility and potential. “Everything you’ve ever wanted is sitting on the other side of fear”. George Addair
Where can we find you on social media / the Web?
LinkedIn: Shinesa Cambric
Twitter: @gleauxbalsecur1