Baan Alsinawi: Trust ourselves and be courageous. [Compliance] [Career Notes]

Summary

CyberWire Daily Episode Summary: "Baan Alsinawi: Trust Ourselves and Be Courageous"

Release Date: January 19, 2025

In this enlightening episode of CyberWire Daily, host N2K Networks engages in a profound conversation with Bon Sinoui, the Managing Director at Server Sentinel, Chief Compliance Officer, and President of TeleTech LLC. Bon delves into her extensive career in cybersecurity, the evolution of her business, and the vital role of confidence and community, especially for women in tech.

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1. Early Passion for Technology

Bon Sinoui begins by sharing her early fascination with computers, which ignited her career in technology. Reflecting on her teenage years, she states:

"I was a young 17-year-old who was looking at computers and thinking those are so cool and I really wanted to understand how they work... I wanted to be the one who did."
[01:45]

Her initial curiosity led her to pursue an education in Control and Systems Engineering, laying a robust foundation for her future endeavors in the tech industry.

2. Diverse Career Trajectory

Bon outlines her diverse career path, emphasizing her transition from technical roles to business management:

"I've had any career you can think of in, I would call it, quote unquote, from help desk and managing desktops and motherboards... all the way to systems engineering, network engineering, managing a variety of aspects of cybersecurity for companies and businesses."
[03:10]

This breadth of experience provided her with a comprehensive understanding of both the technical and managerial facets of cybersecurity, enabling her to lead effectively.

3. Balancing Technical Expertise with Business Acumen

Despite her strong technical background, Bon acknowledges that her current role involves more business management than hands-on technical work:

"While I started from a technical education and training as a founder of a business and running a business, the technical side is maybe 20% of what my day-to-day looks like. A lot of it is more of managing the business, managing clients, managing teams, managing my time."
[04:00]

She emphasizes the importance of making informed decisions about her team and fostering an environment where employees can grow and tackle challenging projects.

4. Building and Innovating in Compliance Services

Bon discusses the inception and growth of her business, particularly her focus on regulatory compliance:

"I veered into more of a regulatory compliance focus for my business only because I realized that is a business opportunity and it needs... there's a lot that we could do in that space from just pure supply and demand."
[05:15]

She highlights the early adoption of managed services in 2008, a move that positioned her company at the forefront of the evolving cloud and SaaS landscape.

5. Championing Women in Tech

A significant portion of the conversation centers on Bon's experiences as a woman in the predominantly male tech industry:

"Everything, even when I was a young kid trying to learn computers, it wasn't really necessarily the popular thing for other girls to do... I have two young girls who I like to set, you know, help them find their path through the... encouraging them, providing a community of like-minded women who can either provide role models or mentorship."
[06:30]

Bon underscores the importance of community and mentorship for women, advocating for spaces where women can seek guidance, share experiences, and build confidence.

6. Overcoming Self-Doubt and Embracing Courage

Bon candidly shares her personal struggles with self-doubt and the journey to self-confidence:

"I think if I am successful it's because I've really made the right decisions about the team and the folks that I work with... I have certainly could have done more had I not been so unsure of myself and thinking, you know, there's no way I could do this."
[07:00]

She imparts a powerful message to her younger self and other young women in tech:

"We really need that confidence, that ability to trust ourselves and be courageous honestly."
[07:25]

Bon's reflections serve as an inspiring testament to the importance of self-belief and the courage to pursue one's ambitions despite challenges.

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Conclusion

In this episode, Bon Sinoui provides a comprehensive look into her journey in the cybersecurity industry, balancing technical expertise with strategic business leadership. Her advocacy for women in tech and her honest discourse on overcoming self-doubt offer valuable insights and inspiration for listeners navigating similar paths. Bon's emphasis on trust, courage, and community underscores the personal and professional qualities essential for success in the ever-evolving field of cybersecurity.

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Note: This summary excludes sponsor messages and non-content sections as per the episode guidelines.

Transcript

[A]

You're listening to the Cyberwire network, powered by N2K.

[B]

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[A]

My name is Bon Sinoui and I am the Managing Director at Server Sentinel, Chief Compliance Officer and the President of TeleTech LLC. I was a young 17 year old who was looking at computers and thinking those are so cool and I really wanted to understand how they work and I wanted to be, you know, a computer person, whatever that meant at the time for my inexperienced mind. But I just felt that this is something new and nobody else knew what it is and I wanted to be the one who did. I went to an engineering school, Control and Systems Engineering and really since then I have had any career you can think of in, I would call it, quote unquote it from help desk and managing desktops and motherboards and VGA cards all the way to systems engineering, network engineering, managing variety of aspects of cybersecurity for companies and businesses. While I started from a technical, you know, education and training as a founder of a business and running a business, the technical side is maybe 20% of what my day to day looks like. A lot of it is more of managing the business, managing clients, managing teams, managing my time. A lot of growth in all these areas with the foundation of really understanding what the solutions need to be and helping others get there. So it's a fun day, very busy day and there's always so much more to do. I think if I am successful it's because I've really made the right decisions about the team and the folks that I work with. I've been both fortunate and I Give myself credit for picking the right people. And I'm not always successful in doing that obviously, but it's really what I aspire to do and make sure people are allowed the opportunity to grow and do things that they find challenging. And I've had folks who've worked with me for almost a decade now and it's just we've continued to grow and do new things. So that's sort of something I'm very proud of. Even when I started the business like I talked about, I was. My background is mostly technology. You know, I would characterize myself as a geek. I veered into more of a regulatory compliance focus for my business only because I realized that is a business opportunity and it needs. There's a lot that we could do in that space from just pure supply and demand, if you will, but at the same time wanted to do it differently than others, honestly. Back in 2006, offering a managed service wasn't that popular. It wasn't a cloud and businesses mostly wanted to have their own software on their own server in their own environment. In 2008 we offered a managed service hosted elsewhere and we were able to get a small contract and built on that. And since then we've been innovating and obviously the cloud and SaaS solutions are very prevalent right now. Right. Most people are moving to the cloud. So it's just the fun of doing something new and getting it wrong a lot and getting it right sometimes. It is very important to me as women in tech. Everything, even when I talk about when I was a young kid trying to learn computers, it wasn't really necessarily the popular thing for other girls to do. And throughout my career I cannot say that this is a female centric career path. Right. It's definitely male dominated. I am currently part of a larger organization I believe. You know, I am one of the few management roles who are females and I have two young girls who I like to set, you know, help them find their path through the, their career path and helping other women realize that there are opportunities, encouraging them, providing a community of like minded women who can either provide role model or mentorship even just to know that, you know, there's somebody to ask if you needed help. I think to me that was tremendously helpful to know that I could reach out to other women and you know, even if I just have lunch with them and just kind of brainstorm about what am I doing and what have they done, what worked for them, what didn't work, that sense of community amongst women is something that I am keen about and I really would like to continue to do and nurture other women in this field. I think I've held myself back. So many opportunities and so many I would, you know, no regrets. All that led to where I am today. But I certainly could have done more had I not been so unsure of myself and think, thinking, you know, there's no way I could do this. I definitely need somebody else to help me and hold my hand. And even with my business, I spent several years, I would say almost six, seven years looking for a partner thinking I can't do it on my own. And it just, it took years for me to realize, wait a second, I've been doing it myself for the last eight years, maybe I could do it myself. I really wasn't sure. It's just this realization that it took me years to realize and I, if anything, I want to tell my younger self and other young women, you know, just we really need that confidence, that ability to trust ourselves and be courageous honestly.

[B]

And now a message from our sponsor Zscaler, the leader in cloud security. Enterprises have spent billions of dollars on firewalls and VPNs. Yet breaches continue to rise by an 18% year over year increase in ransomware attacks and a $75 million record payout in 2024. These traditional security tools expand your attack surface with public facing IPs that are exploited by bad actors more easily than ever with AI tools. It's time to rethink your security. Zscaler Zero Trust AI stops attackers by hiding your attack surface making apps and IPs invisible eliminating lateral movement Connecting users only to specific apps, not the entire network. Continuously verifying every request based on identity and context Simplifying security management with AI powered automation and detecting threats using AI to analyze over 500 billion daily transactions. Hackers can't attack what they can't see. Protect your organization with Zscaler Zero Trust and AI. Learn [e-mail] Security.