Heard of Makinde Adeagbo, the Software Engineering Genius?

The resolute and tech-minded Makinde Adeagbo does not fail to make his way into anything that concerns technology. His passion was partly instigated by his parents encouraged Adeagbo’s interest in science and math by registering him in multiple programmes during the summer.

Adeagbo on his own learned how to programme games using the graphing calculator. Both Middle school and High school had channels through which he learned science.

Just right after he got a bachelor’s degree in computer science and electrical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he continued with the chase.

Making Some Tech-Savvy Moves

In 2003, Makinde Adeagbo proceeded to work as a research and development intern at Brown-Forman Corp. Like that was not enough, he signed up to work with Apple in 2005 as an engineering intern. Adeagbo got his third internship at Microsoft in 2006.

He kept improving his skills which landed him his first full-time job on the Facebook company as a Software Engineer on the 1st of August, 2007. A few years later Makinde Adeagbo also worked as a software engineer at Bridge International Academies. From there, he still explored down to Dropbox and worked as a software craftsman in 2011. Working at Pinterest as a software engineer and engineering program in 2013 was his last job before he decided to make something personal from his acquired knowledge.

Makinde Adeagbo admitted that working in these firms helped him get a better idea of what he wanted. In total, Makinde had a sum of 7 past jobs before settling in for something better.

Inventing Dev/Color

Makinde Adeagbo founded dev/color in May 2015. The purpose of his invention was to make sure every black software engineer has the right connections, resources and support they need to prosper. Dev/ color is a global career accelerator for black software engineers, technologists, and executives.

Makinde Adeagbo started his small firm in a small way, but it has grown to accommodate a community of over 600 professional members. Dev/color has also welcomed leaders that have participated in the mentorship programs the firm offers. These engineering leaders come together to solve pressing challenges which they face together as squads.

Makinde also built Dev/color to accelerate the collective advancement of black technologists, increase access to executive leadership, and increase accountability for racial equity. In summary, he frowns against racism and tries to bring together all black engineers to form a community where they can help each other with anything.

Why It All Started

Makinde further stated that he ventured into this invention because, over the years, black leaders have been excluded from the fastest-growing technical careers in the world. For this reason, Makinde Adeagbo built a small group of fellow black software engineers to accommodate them since the world would not have them.

The Dev/color community has enabled them to be available for each other, by having each other’s backs and helping one another grow. He also formulated a peer mentorship programme called the “A Star” (A*). With these motives, black software engineers can have a career, become tech-savvy and start companies across the country.

Adeagbo also opened his arms up to other black software engineers to share their stories and allow his current members to form deep bonds and support each other in any way they can.

Makinde Adeagbo has always advised aspiring and practising engineers not to bundle themselves in while trying to achieve their goals. He would always say, “Try not to limit yourself.”

Following the COVID-19 pandemic years of 2019–2021, the world has gradually experienced a shift in virtually all spheres of life. Work, communication, and everything connected to how we relate and carry out business have changed.

One of the dynamics of this change is the digital transition, which has increased our reliance on technology. There has been an increase in the use of virtual workspaces, online marketplaces, and e-governance tools to overcome the limitations occasioned by the pandemic. And these have become the norm even as the world trudges on the road to normalcy.

However, the system’s strength is also its weakness. With more and more people getting online to carry out their everyday work, and with remote-based results increasing rather exponentially, the dependence on technology has increased drastically. The resultant effect is that there has been an increase in the amount of data shared daily.

According to the global consulting firm Mckinsey, cyber-attacks are rising, and market indicators signal a fear of further increase.

Companies are increasingly investing in technology that drives their businesses, but this also opens up more potential for cyberattacks.

With the shift to digital, there is an increased need for IT departments to add more layers to IT network infrastructure to support remote work and enhance usability. And all of this further increases our vulnerability and threat from the outside world.

The threats have increased, and this time, the culprits are not limited to individuals carrying out one-person attacks on cyber infrastructure; they are now more sophisticated as they usually include a network of organised individuals carrying out coordinated attacks. cyberattacks, which were prevalent and expensive in 2021, are expected to continue into 2022.

With this level of threat, small and midsize enterprises and governments are not spared from the growing cyber risk.

A peep at the figures

According to a Global X report published in January, titled ‘Rising Cybersecurity Threats Expected to Continue in 2022’, According to the report, the average data breach cost between $3.86 million in 2020 to $4.24 million in 2021, the highest total cost in the last 17 years.

This point was also buttressed by CheckPoint in its own report, also released in January.