By Brandi Wylie ‘24
Kristi Farmer Hoffmaster ’02 was often the only woman in the room when she entered the cybersecurity world about seven years ago.
That has changed rapidly, says Hoffmaster, a senior security analyst with third-party risk management at Okta. Women make up about 25% of those working in cybersecurity, according to the World Economic Forum. Okta’s cybersecurity department houses 100 of the company’s 4,000 employees.
“I wish people knew how exciting of a career this is, especially for women,” Hoffmaster says. “This space is migrating to a fully remote career in a lot of companies, which allows me to easily juggle domestic duties and parenting duties without having to get in my car and go to an office.”
A sociology major at Wofford, Hoffmaster began her information technology career in 2007. She worked as a web, front-end, project and application developer and in strategy and systems governance before moving into cybersecurity and earning a master of legal studies with a focus on cyberlaw.
“The whole world is going digital. Everything about that has to be kept safe and secure, causing a spike in the demand for cybersecurity individuals,” says Hoffmaster, who became fascinated with digital privacy after DNA testing and a desire to make contact with her birth family. The path has been eye-opening and rewarding, and Hoffmaster enjoys the opportunity to share her experience and the importance of cybersecurity.
“I don’t think people really understand how closely related cyber and national security are. They go hand in hand,” says Hoffmaster. “The company I work for, our product serves the military and the government. If our product is not working, it immediately affects them. I am indirectly protecting our country, and that’s exciting and motivating.”