cyber-experts
Meet Senior Service Delivery Coordinator, Erika Ambrose | DeepSeas
March 30, 2023
Senior Service Delivery Coordinator, Erika Ambrose, is featured in a DeepSeas series called, “Meet our Deeps.” Let’s dive in to learn more about Erika’s work and career.
Q: Hi, Erika. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how your life experiences led you to a role as a Senior Service Delivery Coordinator at DeepSeas?
A: I joined the military in a humdrum HR role directly out of high school. I learned a lot about life in that role, but the three things that stand out as the most impactful lessons are:
- Commitment
- How to work with people from all over the world
- How to work as a team to simplify all of our jobs (and allow for more gaming time!)
In my civilian time, I worked in quite a few entry level administrative roles. My career really started when I took an accounting role at a collection agency, where a heavy portion of my role was quality assurance and compliance. During my time there, I consistently found situations where my role made other processes run smoother. At the end of the day, it was always about customer service, whether internally serving other departments or externally helping clients and consumers. I earned a promotion to compliance manager at that company.
From there I moved over to an IT audit firm where I worked closely with SaaS companies and managing our penetration testing line of business. Moving to Security On-Demand (now DeepSeas) was a new step in my career growth. I never expected to end up at a cybersecurity company, but it feels natural. I’m a sponge and have an innate desire to learn more at every turn. I am driven by being the person that everyone wants to contact to get an answer that their solves problems.
Q: Tell us more about your current role at DeepSeas. What attracted you to it?
A: As a Senior Service Delivery Coordinator, I serve as our clients’ go-to contact. I am our clients’ advocate and voice within DeepSeas. My favorite part of this role is helping my clients solve their problems. We exist to be a calming voice amidst the thrashing cyber seas, and I enjoy being here to help.
Q: Do you believe cybersecurity leaders should be motivated by fear or peace of mind, and why?
A: I think our motivation should be balanced. There is a healthy sense of fear that our data could be compromised, and we should be mindful of the impact that would have and what we can do to prevent it. Having a good plan and security measures in place should give us that peace of mind. We should know that, because we have a plan, we can go on vacation and the world won’t fall apart. Of course, I wouldn’t be a good compliance professional if I didn’t remind you to make sure you sprinkle a nice layer of compliance in the plan. I always told my collectors to “document, document, document.”
Q: We like to say that at DeepSeas heart rates go down, careers take off, and security programs mature. Does this resonate with you? Why or why not?
A: I’ve seen it first hand. When we identify a potential threat, we have a path. We have the experts at DeepSeas who can confidently say, “been there, done that.” So, even if I haven’t had an exact experience myself, I know someone who has. Our leadership is filled with experts who have impressive backgrounds and career paths, and they are all excited to coach and mentor us. I’m excited to see what’s beyond the horizon.
Q: What examples have you seen or experienced when security leaders sacrifice their personal health and wellness for work? Why do you think personal well-being may be especially important in the cybersecurity industry?
A: Burnout can happen in any role, but when it happens to a security leader, mistakes happen that may have a ripple effect. Taking even just one day to rest and recuperate can save 30 days of taking your business offline because of a major security incident.
Take a look at the COVID pandemic. How many companies had a disaster recovery plan that they had to implement because we suddenly couldn’t work in our office?
Be prepared so you can take that vacation. Have a plan and practice that plan. Rest assured that you have the right partners in place so you can relax your shoulders and enjoy a mai tai on the beach.