Biggest Challenges Faced by a VP IT Operations at EAH Housing
The biggest challenge for the VP of IT Operations is the "changing landscape in IT," particularly concerning cybersecurity, as the sophistication of threats rapidly outpaces preparedness. Constant learning and reacting to news of evolving threats is necessary, but anticipating and preparing for future attacks proves difficult because "things change like day to day in it."
Cybersecurity, IT Operations, Leadership, Industry Trends, Continuous Learning
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Leslie Dabi
VP, IT Operations
EAH Housing (EAH Inc.)
UC Davis
Purdue Global University: MS Information Technology
Spanish & Other Languages, International Relations & Affairs
Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking, Real Estate
Cyber Security and IT
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. The constantly changing landscape of IT and cybersecurity poses a significant challenge, requiring continuous learning and adaptation to new threats.
2. Maintaining organizational security is difficult because IT is often reactive, responding to incidents and news rather than proactively preventing all potential attacks.
3. Even with cybersecurity education and established business continuity protocols, real-world cyber attacks are often more advanced and unpredictable, making preparation difficult.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge within your role?
For me, it's the changing landscape. There's a focus on keeping your organization safe, and you try your best to know how to react when things happen. We're mostly responsive, reacting to events or when we hear about new cybersecurity threats in the news.
People's email addresses and social security numbers being stolen is an example of this. The evolving nature of cybersecurity is the biggest challenge. We're never going to be able to keep up with all the bad actors trying to infiltrate companies.
It's challenging to constantly learn. My degree was focused on cybersecurity, but the field is so different now compared to how sophisticated it has become. The biggest challenge is this changing landscape in the industry.
You're always constantly learning and reacting to the news. We can't truly prepare for future attacks, like predicting a major cyberattack five years from now where all our information is stolen. While we can have business continuity protocols and follow Fortune 500 guidelines, when an attack happens to your organization, it will likely be more advanced.
Things in IT change daily. That's what's challenging: the constantly shifting landscape.