AUSCERT 30 Years 30 Stories – Shelly Mills

Championing AUSCERT’s passion for positive change, Shelly Mills shares why she thinks AUSCERT is the best cyber organisation an organisation could partner with. Shelly has attended the AUSCERT conference four years in a row. As the Cyber Security Improvements Manager at the University of Queensland, Shelly speaks testament to AUSCERT’s virtues.

How did you first become involved with AUSCERT?

I started my first role at the University of Queensland, right before the AUSCERT conference. I remember having my first one-on-one with my boss, and my question was – can I go to the AUSCERT conference? That’s how I initially got involved with AUSCERT – it was the first thing I wanted to do.

What are the key benefits as an AUSCERT member?

A great benefit is the professional development offered by AUSCERT. The amount of professional development and networking you receive from the conference is awesome. Building those networks throughout your industry and other industries, including knowledge sharing, is a great benefit.

How has AUSCERT evolved over the years?

AUSCERT has definitely grown over the years – but a great thing is when you look at the management team at AUSCERT, they’re focused on giving back to the community. They strive to understand the community and make sure the services and provisioning align with what the community wants.

What advice would you give someone considering becoming an AUSCERT member?

You’ve got to join and be an AUSCERT member because they have the best conferences! I know it’s hard to justify budgets to go to conferences, but AUSCERT’s comes in its membership, so you’ll get to go to the conference.

What do you think the future holds for AUSCERT?

I know the AUSCERT management team are going to keep aligning their services to what the community wants. I predict there will be more training on a variety of different topics.

How has your AUSCERT membership impacted your organisation’s overall approach to cyber security?

AUSCERT also sits under the University of Queensland, so we’re somewhat related. We’re very lucky that our Cyber Security Operations Manager has been working with AUSCERT to share knowledge. Therefore, our membership has been very beneficial, especially for our Cyber Security Operations Centre. We learn from AUSCERT analysts as to how they do things and bring those skills back to our team.

What sets AUSCERT apart from other organisations in the cyber security industry?

Honestly, everyone at AUSCERT goes in with the purest of intentions, wanting to make a positive difference for the cyber security community and the community at large. Unfortunately, that’s not true everywhere else. I actually sent both AUSCERT managers an email two days ago saying thank you. They lead with such genuineness, authenticity and care, and that’s what makes AUSCERT so special. There’s a lot of people in the industry out for profit, who don’t care about the community. AUSCERT embodies all that’s good within the cyber security industry.