Yatia (Tia) Hopkins: Grit and right place, right time. [Solutions Architecture] [Career Notes]

Summary

CyberWire Daily: Episode Summary

Episode Title: Yatia (Tia) Hopkins: Grit and Right Place, Right Time
Host/Author: N2K Networks
Release Date: December 29, 2024
Guest: Yatia (Tia) Hopkins, VP of Global Solutions Architecture at eSentire and Founder of Empower Cybersecurity

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Introduction to Tia Hopkins

In this episode of CyberWire Daily, host N2K Networks welcomes Yatia (Tia) Hopkins, the Vice President of Global Solutions Architecture at eSentire and the founder of Empower Cybersecurity. Tia shares her inspiring journey in the cybersecurity field, highlighting the importance of grit, timing, and representation.

Early Curiosity and Education

Tia Hopkins’ fascination with technology began at a young age. She recounts, “I just always had a curiosity for understanding how things work. So you know, when I got toys, instead of playing with them I would take them apart” (01:20). This innate curiosity led her to dismantle her first computer at age 11 or 12, igniting her passion for IT.

Despite enrolling in computer engineering at the University of Miami, Tia discovered that her true passion lay in being a technologist rather than an engineer. She reflects, “I like to understand how things work and put solutions together to drive outcomes” (02:45). This self-awareness prompted her to pivot to a more technology-focused education at ITT Tech, where she delved deeper into networking and technology.

Building a Career at eSentire

Tia’s career trajectory at eSentire is marked by resilience and continuous learning. After several years in various roles, she advanced to a director position. Recognizing the need to formalize her extensive experience, Tia pursued higher education, earning a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology in 2012, followed by a master’s degree in Cybersecurity.

At eSentire, Tia oversees Global Solutions Architecture, where her team designs and implements managed detection and response services. She explains, “We have two global security operations centers that monitor our customer environments... hunt for and respond to threats on behalf of our customers” (05:10). Her role involves understanding client infrastructures, addressing security pain points, and ensuring solutions align with business objectives.

Founding Empower Cybersecurity

Driven by a desire to increase diversity in the cybersecurity field, Tia founded Empower Cybersecurity in early October. The organization focuses on empowering women of color to pursue and succeed in cybersecurity careers. Tia emphasizes the significance of representation, stating, “If I don't see a lot of women in the field or you know, representation of women that look like me in the industry that are successful, then I might go down a different path” (06:50).

Empower Cybersecurity aims to dismantle barriers to entry by providing a supportive environment where women can build both soft and hard skills, gain confidence, and access essential resources. Tia highlights the organization’s mission to address misconceptions about the field, such as the necessity of extensive programming knowledge, and to create a space where women feel represented and encouraged.

Advice for Aspiring Cybersecurity Professionals

Tia offers valuable advice for those aspiring to enter the cybersecurity industry. She underscores the importance of understanding one’s motivations and recognizing personal strengths and areas for improvement. “Understanding your why is critically important... understanding yourself, what are your transferable skills?” she advises (08:30).

She also emphasizes the demanding nature of a cybersecurity career, noting, “It is an incredibly rewarding career. It is hard work day in, day out, and it changes every day, and you have to love it so you can keep up” (09:15). Tia encourages continuous learning and adaptability as key components for success in the ever-evolving field of cybersecurity.

Conclusion

Tia Hopkins’ journey is a testament to the power of curiosity, resilience, and the pursuit of education. Her leadership at eSentire and Empower Cybersecurity not only drives technological advancements but also fosters a more inclusive and diverse cybersecurity community. Listeners are left inspired by Tia’s dedication to breaking down barriers and her commitment to empowering the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

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Notable Quotes:

• “I just always had a curiosity for understanding how things work. So you know, when I got toys, instead of playing with them I would take them apart.” — Tia Hopkins (01:20)

• “I like to understand how things work and put solutions together to drive outcomes.” — Tia Hopkins (02:45)

• “We have two global security operations centers that monitor our customer environments... hunt for and respond to threats on behalf of our customers.” — Tia Hopkins (05:10)

• “If I don't see a lot of women in the field or you know, representation of women that look like me in the industry that are successful, then I might go down a different path.” — Tia Hopkins (06:50)

• “Understanding your why is critically important... understanding yourself, what are your transferable skills?” — Tia Hopkins (08:30)

• “It is an incredibly rewarding career. It is hard work day in, day out, and it changes every day, and you have to love it so you can keep up.” — Tia Hopkins (09:15)

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This episode of CyberWire Daily provides a comprehensive look into Tia Hopkins’ impact on the cybersecurity industry, her strategic career moves, and her commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion within the field.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

I am Tia Hopkins and I'm the VP of Global Solutions architecture at eSintire, provider of managed detection and response services. I just always had a curiosity for understanding how things work. So you know, when I got toys, instead of playing with them I would take them apart. But I think that really sort of showed itself in terms of what career path I'd probably end up going down. Around 1112 years old when my mom bought my first computer for me and instead of getting it online and going on aol, which was all the RAID back then, I took it apart. I was fascinated by all the pieces of IT spread all across my bedroom floor. I attended the University of Miami. I enrolled in computer engineering as my major and quickly learned that that wasn't what I love. And you know, now I understand that I I'm more of a technologist than an engineer, so I like to understand how things work and put solutions together to drive outcomes. And so I lasted about a year at University of Miami. So from there I actually pivoted into, I think it was ITT Tech and I took their computers and Electronics Engineering Technology course. That's really when I started to get bit by the IT bug and want to understand more about networking and technology in general. Eventually moved into a director role and while I was in the director role I kind of took a step back and said hey, I kind of need to do something to back all of this experience up. Because up to that point in my career it just had been grit and right place, right time and learning on my own and just being resourceful, et cetera, but still had no formal education and I think a limited number of certifications at that point. But being in a management role, I really wanted to validate my knowledge, my experience and my abilities. So I went back and finished my bachelor's degree, I believe in 2012 and I got A bachelor's in information technology. But then after that I went straight into a master's degree in cybersecurity because I decided by the time I finished the bachelor's that I wanted to focus on cybersecurity. And immediately after that went into a second master's degree in cybersecurity and added a lot of certifications along the way. So e centire being a provider of managed detection and response services, essentially what that means is we have two global security operations centers that monitor our customer environments through various types of technology and hunt for and respond to threats on behalf of our customers. Where my team plays into that is having those conversations around the security concerns in the environment, pain points, understanding the infrastructure, the makeup of the current security team so that we can put a solution together that drives the business outcomes and then integrate well both from an infrastructure perspective and an operational perspective. And I'm responsible for, of course, ensuring that my team has what it needs to be successful. I also help out in more complex or strategic situations. And then of course, the other side of my role is just aligning to and achieving business objectives as well. Empower Cybersecurity I founded in early October and the organization really exists to get more women of color interested in and confident in their ability to be successful in a career in security or cybersecurity. And the reason that I went down this path is because I think a large part, part of what's missing in terms of driving the interest is representation as a woman of color looking at cybersecurity or security as a potential career. If I don't see a lot of women in the field or you know, representation of women that look like me in the industry that are successful, then I might go down a different path. And so when you compound that by some of the other things that create precedes a high barrier to entry across the board like, oh, you have to be a programmer to have a career in cyber security. You know, you have to know how to code. You have to be super technical. You know, it just makes it. It doesn't make it feel achievable. So I'm looking to tear down those walls, provide a safe space for. For women to figure it out, feel represented, encouraged, and just get their, you know, access to the resources and information that they really need and address the entire woman from soft skills, the hard skills, the confidence, all those things. So more about just building skills, employees, building leaders as well. I think that it is important to one understand your why. Why are you interested in a career in cybersecurity. Because you'll have to answer that question frequently, right? So understanding your why is critically important, but then understanding yourself, what are your transferable skills? What are you lacking? What are the things about you that will help you, and what are the things that might hold you back? So just understanding where you're starting from is critically important, and being realistic about the fact that it is an incredibly rewarding career. It is hard work day in, day out, and it changes every day, and you have to love it so you can keep up.