Impervian Community Spotlight: Adesola Jolaoso, Database Security Specialist
Adesola Jolaoso uses Imperva to protect critical government infrastructure in Africa’s largest economy.
Imperva’s cloud-based infrastructure and best-in-class scalability make it a key asset for government institutions around the world. Government agencies need dependable resources that deliver proven results.
Today’s Impervian community spotlight focuses specifically on a security professional who is making that happen. Adesola Jolaoso is a database security specialist working for a federal government agency in Nigeria.
As Africa’s number-one economy and most populated state, guaranteeing the safety and security of Nigerian infrastructure is of paramount importance. Specialists like Jolaoso maintain the integrity and availability of important national payment systems.
Introducing Adesola Jolaoso
Adesola has 10 years of IT experience, with more than seven of those years spent in information security. He started his career as a network engineer but quickly fell in love with the dynamic environment and ever-present challenge the cybersecurity field offers.
One of the turning-point moments that led to this career pivot was the Saudi Aramco cyberattack of 2012. Seeing the impact of one of the largest cyberattacks in history made an impression on Jolaoso, who let himself imagine how the attack would have fared if Saudi Aramco had a proactive cybersecurity defense team in place.
“Imagine if there was a cyber defender who was ahead of the malicious attackers in terms of knowledge, skills, and tools.” Jolaoso said, “Maybe the attack would have been prevented!”
Mr. Jolaoso is enthusiastic about the work he does. Securing payment and financial systems for the Nigerian government is, in his words, “contributing to nation-building in my own little way.”
But public-sector cybersecurity is not without its challenges. Adesola cites an economy-wide skill shortage and a lack of leader enthusiasm for cybersecurity initiatives as major challenges to today’s cybersecurity industry. Many organizations don’t place enough priority on cybersecurity, and convincing boards of directors to start can be difficult.
If he could go back and give himself one piece of advice upon starting on this career path, Adesola would tell himself to be more focused and specialize early on. This is the best way to demonstrate mission-critical skills in an industry suffering a talent shortage.
Looking forward, Adesola plans on developing leadership skills within the next 3-5 years. IT-oriented leadership positions in the public sector are going to be instrumental in securing the financial future of Nigeria’s fast-growing population.
Adesola credits the Imperva community with helping him draw from the wealth of experience other specialists have to offer. He does his best to contribute when he can, helping other members streamline their most time-consuming tasks using automation:
“The more you work to automate your daily activities through alerts and policy configurations,” he explains, “the easier your life becomes.”
Outside of the office, Adesola enjoys swimming and spending time with his family. He is an active member of his community, as well. For database security specialists like Adesola Jolaoso, every positive impact you can have is a contribution towards a better, more secure world.
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