Emma Pember is a Lead Professional Services Consultant in the ANZ Infinity Global Services team, based in Perth, Australia. She works with customers in the APAC region, specializing in Maestro and VSX deployments. Emma has been with Check Point PS for nearly 14 years. Prior to Check Point, she worked for several Check Point partners. Before working in IT, she learned set and prop construction for theatre and film, and worked various roles supporting local and touring theatre shows and music festivals.

Emma, how did you get started in the cyber security industry?

I got into it by chance – a friend who was a Check Point partner rang me up and told me he needed an offsider to take care of some of the more basic operations side of the business, and asked if I would like to move across the country and give it a go. I figured ‘why not?’, packed up my car, and drove across to Sydney. I had no background in cyber security before that, so I ended up learning most of it on the job from there.

As a lead consultant, what does your role entail?

As the only professional services consultant within about 3000 kilometers (since moving back to Perth), I do a bit of everything. I mentor newer team members and generally help out when questions arise on how to do things, as well as assisting with scoping some projects and being the SME for the Maestro product in the region.

What has made the biggest impact on your professional life?

Probably that phone call from my friend, really. Without that, I don’t know what I’d be doing now.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned here?

When things are going wrong, don’t panic. Start with the basics when troubleshooting and move on logically from there. Don’t be afraid to call off the task if you know it’s just not going to work – learn what you can, reset, and try again later.

What piece of advice would you give to someone considering a career in cyber security?

Listen. Read logs. Understand alerts. The basics matter. You can’t secure something you don’t understand, you can’t solve a problem you don’t understand, and you can’t force people to do things securely if it forces them to do it in a way they don’t understand. Security only works when everyone’s onboard with it.

To learn more about working at Check Point and join Emma in securing the world, visit our Careers page.

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