A day in the life — Keeping us cybersafe

Typical morning routine

Working from home means I can jump out of bed an hour before work. I get ready for the day, make breakfast and get a bit of fresh air.

Get organized

I usually have 30 minutes before my first meeting of the day. I take this time to look at the cyber alerts that have been assigned to me and note any important issues.

Connecting with the team

Sometimes my mornings begin with a meeting with the team. We set goals for the week, and in our daily huddles we talk about cyber alerts or issues that occurred outside of office hours the evening prior.

We also use this time to stay connected on a personal level. We catch up on our weekends and chat about our interests. In a virtual setting, this has helped me get to know my co-workers.

Working with our external partners

I usually have a meeting with our external team at Accenture right after catching up with the CSO team. They update us on any incidents that require our attention or should be investigated further. These usually include suspicious user behavior – for example, someone sending a mass external email when they typically don’t. We’ll monitor these actions to help ensure the users account has not been compromised.

Ticket and alert control

After my morning meetings, I really dive into the daily work.

Often this involves tickets related to phishing alerts or malware tools. Just like anyone, we have to prioritize the most urgent potential or real issues to protect our systems. We always remind people that it is everyone’s responsibility to keep us cyber safe and this includes reporting potential or real cyber threats.

Lunch

I keep lunch simple – I usually have a salad and spend some time outside before I begin my afternoon work. Getting outside during lunch, or simply enjoying the downtown view from my apartment, helps me refocus for the afternoon.

Staying ahead of the cybercriminals

It’s not all reactive work in the CSO – we also spend time staying ahead of cyber threats and trends.

After lunch I set aside some time to research and work on cybersecurity initiatives that aren’t directly linked to alerts. One thing I am working on now is creating a dashboard that will gather data about the types of tickets we are processing.

I enjoy the mix between the proactive and reactive work in my role.

Finishing up for the day

At the end of the day, I look at pressing items that require my attention before I log off – items that will ensure we stay cyber safe.

Some of these pressing issues might be users logging in from IP addresses located in infrequent countries. I will also begin reporting any instances to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) from earlier in the day.

Dinner

Now it's time to relax! After work I grab a quick bite to eat and catch up with my friends and family from Edmonton, where I am originally from.

Winding down

I am an avid reader. I love to wind down by reading my book in the park outside my apartment. Currently I am reading a biography on Emperor Hirohito and I am really enjoying it!

Night

I like to listen to jazz or classical music. A few of my favorites include Chopin, H Zettrio and Rachmanioff. I’ve been so inspired by the music I have taken up learning piano myself. I like to get to bed early and get a good sleep before the next day!