Aastha Sahni

Technical Trainer at Exabeam and founder of CyberPreserve and BBWIC

Aastha Sahni wears multiple cybersecurity hats, some of which she made herself. Her ‘day job’ is as a technical trainer at Exabeam, a US-based provider of extended detection and response (XDR) and security information event management (SIEM) products. She provides customer training on the Exabeam Security Operations Platform. She is also the founder of CyberPreserve and of BBWIC.

CyberPreserve is an organisation that helps people wanting to work in cybersecurity and prepares them for the job market. BBWIC—it is anacronym for breaking barriers for women in cybersecurity—has a mission to “promote research, lateral growth within different domains of cybersecurity and women leadership.” It aims to provide an online venue where women in cybersecurity can envision growing as leaders, and where industry leaders can share their ideas and work with their peers across the globe.

Sahni grew up and had most of her education in India. She gained a bachelor’s degree in computer science in 2013 and was looking to follow this with a master’s in 2015 when she discovered cybersecurity.

DISCOVERING CYBERSECURITY

“After finally clearing my entrance exams in 2015, I started applying for universities and during one of my counselling sessions in a university, I discovered a degree in information security management, and I found it really intriguing,” she recalls. “The idea of studying forensics, ethical hacking, secure coding and cryptography among other subjects in the program made me very excited.”

She decided to study for a cybersecurity master’s degree at the Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University of Women (IGDTUW), in Delhi, which she says were the best years of her student life.

“I practiced my skills via hands-on labs, learned from the best in the industry, became familiar with communities like OWASP Delhi Chapter and took my first certification exam: Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).”

While studying for her master’s Sahni gained work experience at the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, as a security intern on its Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance (UMANG), a mobile app that provides access to a wide range of government services.

Her first post-graduation roles were in identity and access management, first with Tata Consultancy Services, then with Indian IT service management

company Nagarro. She moved to the US in 2019 after getting married and took on another IAM role, this time with Identropy, which was acquired by Protiviti in late 2020. “One really needs to keep learning, practicing and applying for roles. Continuous learning and perseverance are key in cybersecurity.”

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

A PASSION FOR TEACHING

During these years Sahni was discovering a passion for teaching she had first recognised at school.

“When I was in high school, I took C++ as an additional subject and loved computer science. I used to help classmates to understand the concepts and prepare for the exams. I always loved teaching but I did not know then that teaching computer science could be a career,” she says.

“I really enjoy myself as a trainer because I get to share my knowledge and keep up to date with the latest changes in technology and cyber security.”

She undertook some voluntary teaching at New York’s Flatiron School and then took on a fulltime role for two years as a lead instructor.

“I was assigned to teach SEIM and threat hunting. I was scared at the beginning to teach something I had never taught before,” she says. “I started preparing myself, took certifications (Splunk and AZ 900) and prepared myself for my first class and I have not looked back.” She says her decision to pursue a masters in cybersecurity changed her life for the better, but even armed with this qualification she struggled to find employment. “Companies won’t hire a fresher in security roles. I went through several rejections until I got my first job, and even after securing a job in security, the journey to advance my career in different domains of cybersecurity was not easy.

And Sahni’s perseverance and initiative have brought her awards and recognition. In 2021 she was presented with its Cyber Educator award by The Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu (WSC), a non-profit organisation dedicated to raising awareness of cybersecurity career opportunities and advancement for women. In 2022 BBWIC was named the non-profit Ally of the Year by cybersecurity consultancy Inteligenca, recognising BBWIC as “a non-profit whose mission has made a large impact on building an inclusive society for women in the working world.” “I feel education and training to be very underrated in cybersecurity, and with the ever‑evolving threat landscape and technology around us, training is a very important part of the cybersecurity industry in terms of upskilling. It will continue to grow.” Sahni has achieved much in her six years in cybersecurity and has her sights set on advancing in cybersecurity education. “I see myself moving towards learning and strategy and eventually into a chief learning officer role in the industry,” she says “I feel education and training to be very underrated in cybersecurity, and with the ever-evolving threat landscape and technology around us, training is a very important part of the cybersecurity industry in terms of upskilling. It will continue to grow.” www.linkedin.com/in/aastha-sahni