{ SHIFT+CONTROL { WOMAN ON THE RISE} }
YOU ANNETTE ARE ENOUGH. WARREN BY NICOLE HEROUX WILLIAMS I PHOTOS BY NSP STUDIO PHOTOS BY STACI REAFSNYDER
Tell us a little about Annette Warren. Who are you? Where are you from? What is your background?
When did you start your business? What is your background that helped push you toward this career choice?
I am originally from Syracuse, New York, but moved1 to Rochester over 30 years ago. I grew up in a family business – my father owned a grocery store. I received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Roberts Wesleyan. My professional path for a long time was in retail management. I entered the information technology (IT) industry when my husband, John, started an ISP / VoIP business in 1995; at the same time we started having kids. With my business degree and retail background, I brought a unique way to approach clients along with the importance of educating our client base. At the end of the 1990’s, we started seeing security had now beocome an issue. We sold our ISP and VoIP client base; iSECURE was formed in 2011 with a sole cybersecurity focus.
iSECURE was founded in 2011, but we’d had an ISP / VoIP business prior. My husband, John, started our original internet company in 1995 and I slowly integrated myself into the business.
What makes you hustle both personally and professionally? Cybersecurity is not a “one size fits all,” and we need to understand what our clients need. I love what I do; it’s about helping people. What made you decide to go into the cybersecurity industry? I didn’t really ‘decide’ to go into cybersecurity, it picked me. iSECURE was started from the needs we saw in our client’s environments, not knowing how big of an issue it would be.
78
ROCHESTER WOMAN ONLINE : DECEMBER EDITION 2021
What is the mission behind iSECURE? iSECURE’s mission is to inspire a cybersecurity culture through education and collaboration. Security is a vital component for every business today because cyberthreats are everywhere. As cybersecurity specialist, it is our job to stay on top of the most current threats, trends, and information to give our clients choices and options. Not one client is the same as another. Our clients come to us because they don’t have the time to distill the information. They’re busy growing their own business. Because of the lack of people in the workforce, we are more relevant today than what we were ten years ago. What challenges have you faced this year being a female entrepreneur, especially in your business, and how have you pivoted? I don’t think that being a female entrepreneur has been a challenge over the past year, as much as it was the change in client’s needs and the uptick of targeted cyber-attacks. iSECURE has experienced the distraction of employee turnover with our client’s, as well as
within the vendor environment, which is a cybersecurity concern. We also haven’t been able to find experience personal to our team that has the knowledge. What motivates you and keeps you moving forward? I love what I do! I love the business of helping people and learning new technologies! What do you feel makes you a successful woman in business? I am compassionate, and I have the ability to relate to people and situations. I am also a good listener. What are some of the pros and cons of being a female entrepreneur, and what is your favorite part of what you do? Pros: I love owning my own business. Being a female in this industry has been a definite challenge, especially since I have a degree in business, not IT. Although I feel like I have the experience because I’ve been in the industry for 25+ years. I bring a different perspective to our accounts, and to solving problems. Do you have any helpful advice to someone just starting out in this field? There are so many options for someone who is looking at a cybersecurity career! I recommend doing co-ops and / or internships in a variety of businesses and focuses! To truly know what you want to do,
