For CrowdStrike employees, their role is much more than “just a job.” Whether they’re on our threat hunting team, a member of our sales organization or a cloud engineer, every member of our workforce is on a mission to make the digital world a safer place to live and work.

Corporate Sales Manager Olga Saburov fully embraces the responsibility of that mission, after spending nine years serving as a military police officer in the U.S. Army. In honor of Military Appreciation Month this May, we’re sitting down with Olga to learn more about her transition into civilian life and the advice she has for other veterans and women interested in joining the cyber industry.

Q. What is it that interested you about cybersecurity, and CrowdStrike in particular?

Prior to joining CrowdStrike, I was a military police officer in the U.S. Army. So, talking about protection and about how we help people in the trenches who are experiencing real threats was a natural fit for me. That’s why I wanted to work for CrowdStrike. I had offers from other major tech companies, but something told me to wait for CrowdStrike. It just felt like I would be doing something more important with my life, more impactful with customers, and it would be a better match.

One thing that really stood out about CrowdStrike during the interview process was when my hiring manager took me out to lunch just to get to know me better as a person. I knew right then and there I wanted to work for CrowdStrike because no other company has taken the time to do that.

Q. Tell us about your role at CrowdStrike and what you like about your job?

I work for our corporate sales team. I run my own book of business for the U.S. mid-Atlantic region, which is a pretty large territory. My job is to build a partner network to grow our sales channel so that our customers and prospects understand the need for cybersecurity and the value that CrowdStrike can bring.

As part of my job, I spent a lot of time researching the clients I’m going to be speaking to. I make sure I’m prepared, getting executive alignments, studying my territory, learning who the strong partners are that can get our name out there and bring business leads to us.

What’s unique about CrowdStrike is that everyone is willing to roll up their sleeves and jump in on a deal, even senior leadership. That is not the norm in my experience. It’s an amazing learning opportunity to have that exposure to the leadership team, to be able to learn from them and put that learning into practice.

Q. Why do you think having a military background is an asset in this industry?

I have nine years of experience in the military, so I’m very drawn to service. I’m very drawn to helping on a greater scale, of making an impact.

I think most members of the military share that sense of service to the world. I think we’ve all wanted to effect change on a bigger scale, whether we served 20 years ago, 30 years ago, as cops or as military.

In joining an organization like CrowdStrike, I know that I’m going to work with a team of like-minded people — people who I can count on. I know the reliability is there, the credibility, the discipline. I love working with teams and people who have those qualities deeply ingrained.

Q. What are some other attributes and strengths you think veterans bring to their roles?

Veterans bring perseverance, strength, determination, selflessness. We think about how our actions affect the world. With people, we bring a certain set of communication skills that is unique.

Veterans also bring a sense of confidence and perspective. We’ve taken our experiences and found ways to make peace with what we’ve come through. We take the positives of those lessons and apply them to our work today. Our clients are trusting us to keep them safe — to develop strategies that will protect their business and their people. That’s a promise I make to our customers. That’s something that members of the military are very familiar with.

Q. What advice would you give to women who want to work in this industry?

I’ve always been one of the few women on a huge team of men. That’s true of my time in the military, of former sales roles and even the beginning of my career at CrowdStrike — but not so much any more! To some extent, it’s normal to feel intimidated to be in the minority. It takes time to adjust, but I think getting started is a lot easier than women may think.

My advice would be to take a moment and acknowledge that it’s okay to be afraid, but then go ahead and do it anyway. If you let fear guide you, you’ll never be able to move forward in life. See the fears, tackle them, because once you do, you’ll see how far you’ve come and how far you can go. You’ll be proud of yourself for taking that jump.