After years of working in government roles, CrowdStrike Senior Intelligence Analyst Arielle Cronig decided to seek out new opportunities in the tech sector. Before she found her role at CrowdStrike, Arielle assumed that “to be an analyst in cybersecurity, I had to be able to code or have a degree in cybersecurity.” She was surprised and excited to learn that this was not always the case. CrowdStrike has many intelligence analyst positions that don't require years of deep technical or direct coding experience but still provide employees opportunities to expand their knowledge and work directly in our mission to stop breaches and be effective in supporting our customers.
Her perfect fit came in the role of a dedicated analyst on the CrowdStrike Falcon® Counter Adversary Operations Elite team. “My job is a perfect example of the value of people with social science backgrounds bringing their invaluable knowledge to the cybersecurity mission.”
Another reason Arielle is grateful for her time at CrowdStrike is her ability to do her job as a “very out and very loud” queer woman. She served as president of the company’s LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group (ERG) for three years. While reflecting on her time as ERG president, Arielle jokes, “I had my day job and gay job! I was able to connect with my community within CrowdStrike and across the industry while also working in a job I was passionate about.”
Customized Intelligence for Customers
Arielle’s “day job” involves working with customers who utilize CrowdStrike’s threat hunting and premium threat intelligence modules, providing dedicated analyst support as part of the Counter Adversary Operations team.
This elite team provides intelligence, digital risk protection and threat hunting solutions, with analysts like Arielle serving as a go-between for customers and CrowdStrike’s internal intelligence by cultivating a hand-tailored intelligence solution for customers.
Arielle has supported customers during global events, elections and international crises and has seen firsthand how CrowdStrike threat intelligence can mitigate major world events.
“Knowing what the customers’ priorities are, my team can help CrowdStrike’s internal intelligence teams reprioritize workflows accordingly to mirror what we know our customers really care about. We connect the technical and nontechnical people and are a translator of sorts. It’s a really unique and interesting job and the reason I've been doing it so long.”
The cyber threat analyst role has evolved during the three and a half years Arielle has been at CrowdStrike, with both her team’s capabilities and customers’ needs changing significantly. One of these involves the changing ways in which customers utilize data.
“I’ve learned a lot more about data analytics and how to provide important information to customers in a way that’s readable and digestible. Working directly with customers also gives me the opportunity to see how our intelligence is used in actionable ways.”
Arielle also takes advantage of the numerous training opportunities available for CrowdStrike employees to get certifications or learn technical skills. “I work with some of the smartest people in the industry. Just through talking with my coworkers and asking questions, I feel more confident in working in the cyber/tech space than I ever thought possible.”
Helping Foster a Safe Space
Arielle’s self-proclaimed “gay job” can be traced back to the creation of the company’s ERGs that support a variety of different things, including diversity, equity and inclusion for employees. This coincided with Arielle’s start at CrowdStrike and with the need for new leadership for the LGBTQ+ ERG, Arielle stepped up to the challenge.
Under her three-year tenure as president, membership in the LGBTQ+ ERG grew to over 400 employees.
Arielle used this experience to help other ERGs get off the ground while bringing in speakers and educators to expand CrowdStrike's knowledge base on LGBTQ+ issues and current events.
Her leadership role with the LGBTQ+ ERG gave Arielle the opportunity to become involved in the broader queer tech community. She spoke at the 2023 Lesbians Who Tech conference and participated in their inaugural Squad leadership program.
Arielle loves working at CrowdStrike, and in her free time, she hopes to focus on growing her technical skills and participating in the ERG as a general member under the incredible leadership of Betsy Jorgensen.
“It can be pretty daunting to serve as an outspoken advocate in professional spaces where marginalized people are underrepresented. I feel honored to have served as the face of the queer community for CrowdStrike. I am so deeply inspired by my queer coworkers and am grateful that even through challenges, we can utilize our shared identity to foster networks and learn from one another.”
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