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I’m excited to present the latest episode of Amazon Onboarding, where we engage in insightful discussions with industry leaders about key topics affecting cybersecurity, privacy, and cloud technology. This platform allows us to connect with experts from various fields, including security, technology, and leadership.
In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking virtually with Maya Johnson, the Vice President and Chief Security Officer at Amazon Web Services. In her role, Maya is responsible for shaping security strategies and making critical decisions for the organization. She oversees teams that ensure the security of AWS’s infrastructure, cloud offerings, products, and services, alongside those focused on governance, risk management, compliance, and incident response.
Exploring Security Strategies
Maya and I explored numerous topics, from her professional journey to her current leadership in security strategy at AWS, which emphasizes the importance of trust. Maya began her career in product management, where she successfully conceptualized and launched several software and hardware products. “My passion as a product manager was to understand customer problems and develop innovative solutions. I often tell my team that my entry into security was somewhat accidental, but my continued presence here has been intentional. I leverage the same drive I had as a product manager to address real-world customer issues. Even now, engaging with customers to understand their challenges and building a security program that directly addresses those is central to my approach.”
Aligning Security with Customer Experience
AWS serves a diverse clientele across multiple sectors, so Maya and her team work diligently to align security initiatives with customer experiences and expectations. She has also championed security awareness throughout AWS, empowering employees at every level to take on security responsibilities. “One important lesson I’ve learned is the value of consistency in our approach. Additionally, I believe in demystifying security for all stakeholders within the organization. We’ve worked hard to standardize security practices, which has significantly aided in scaling our security efforts across AWS.”
Innovating with Security in Mind
Maya and AWS exemplify how to innovate on behalf of their customers while prioritizing security. I encourage you to gain further insights into her perspectives on managing and scaling a modern security program by watching the interview. For those looking to start their own business, check out this helpful blog post for more guidance.
You can watch my interview with Maya and explore the Onboarding webpage for past episodes featuring conversations with security leaders from various organizations. If you have any suggestions for future episode topics, please feel free to leave a comment. Additionally, for those interested in employment law compliance, SHRM provides invaluable resources. If you’re looking for a community discussion, this Reddit thread is an excellent resource to explore.