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The National Cybersecurity Alliance is pleased to present February's Board Member Spotlight.
Our Board member companies are leaders in cybersecurity education and awareness and are an integral part of making the organization a successful public-private partnership.
Get to know Jason Rosselot, Vice President of Cybersecurity at Dell Technologies in this Board Member Spotlight.
You’re one of our newest board members, joining in July 2022! What is the most exciting thing about being a part of the board?
The opportunity to provide governance, oversight and advise on strategic direction for such an impactful and philanthropic organization like the National Cybersecurity Alliance is what I find most exciting. I’m personally passionate about many of the NCA’s initiatives from its Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Career Program, to promoting security awareness to consumers, and to helping improve cybersecurity and resiliency for small and medium businesses. The NCA’s mission and my interests are well aligned.
How do Dell’s cybersecurity interests align with the National Cybersecurity Alliance mission to educate and empower our global digital society?
Dell has advocated for consumer and commercial cybersecurity and resiliency for nearly 40 years, believing in the power of secure and trusted technology to drive human progress. We know that trust is born through security, privacy and ethics, and it takes trust for us to embrace technology and the progress it enables.
You were at the first HBCU Career Program event at Prairie View A&M University. What did you take away from the experience?
There are smart, energetic and motivated students at America’s HBCUs that are eager to learn about and be mentored in cybersecurity. In fact, several of my Dell colleagues are currently mentoring students from Prairie View A&M University and some of the other HBCUs we visited last year. I’m excited to play a role in reaching these students and introducing them to a world of opportunity in technology and cybersecurity.
You were also a part of NCA’s Cybersecurity Summit at Nasdaq MarketSite, Cybersecurity at the Center. What was it like being there?
To sum it up in a word: wow! Experiencing the energy and excitement of Nasdaq was unforgettable, especially seeing the NCA playing a prominent role in recognizing cybersecurity and resiliency as a business imperative. To be present at Nasdaq where this cybersecurity recognition was happening is a professional highlight.
Check out what Jason and other attendees had to say about the event here:
Data Privacy Week 2023 just wrapped up! What is your favorite thing about the campaign?
As a security professional, my favorite part about Data Privacy Week is the opportunity to reinforce how privacy and security go hand in hand. Individuals and organizations expect the companies they do business with to keep their personal information secure. This is a key element to earning and maintaining trusted relationships. Respecting individuals’ privacy means protecting the data they entrust to organizations and implementing security controls such as engineering with a secure development lifecycle, managing vulnerabilities, and securely configuring infrastructure.
These are just a few ways security plays a role in securing personal data and systems and protecting privacy through our products and data handling processes. Educating individuals of their privacy rights and organizations on how security enables privacy is something to get excited about not only during Data Privacy Week, but every day.
You’re passionate about closing the cybersecurity skills gap and creating a diverse and inclusive workforce – tell us more about your efforts!
As we all know, the current global workforce is not keeping up with skills needed to meet the demand for cybersecurity jobs. It starts with expanding access to computer science and STEM at a young age. We believe there are multiple pathways into the technology industry, and we are investing in educational programs and curricula that expand access to IT and cybersecurity skills. We also recruit from HBCUs and minority serving institutions (MSIs) and participate in career and mentorship programs to build a pipeline of cybersecurity professionals like the NCA’s HBCU Career Program.
Finally, continuous training and education are essential to combatting the cybersecurity skills gap. We’re dedicated to training our team members and supporting their career interests and paths through internal security training programs as well.
You have a pretty unique background of both cyber and physical security, how does that help you in your current role at Dell Technologies?
I started protecting assets from physical threats both in government as a special agent with the Diplomatic Security Service and in private sector corporate security. I saw the gap between physical and cyber threats being closed with the development of cyber threats to critical infrastructure. This experience helps me daily in my current role where we lead a fully converged Security and Resiliency Organization that strives to address all threats – physical and digital – to our customers and company.
What is one goal, personal or professional, that you’d like to achieve this year?
Through my work on the NCA Board, I’d like to see the number of small and medium-sized businesses who participate in CyberSecure My Business double. These organizations are such a vulnerable portion of private industry, especially critical infrastructure owners and operators. While many small and medium-sized businesses are targeted by cybercriminals and others with malicious intent, they often lack the resources to field defensive cyber teams to protect their company and customers. These businesses need a trusted advisor to come alongside them in their cyber risk management journey to help them be secure and resilient in 2023 and beyond. I believe the National Cybersecurity Alliance can be that trusted partner.
