Two months after graduating from her master in cybersecurity, Joyatee Datta secured a position in IT audit at Reanda Netherlands. She’s in the phase of her career where she wants to grow and needs the right platform and environment to to develop her skills, and take on new challenges. She found that platform at Reanda.
Cybersecurity and audit
During her studies, her internships did give her a glimpse of professional life but this is Joyatee’s very first job after pursuing a degree in cybersecurity. So why choose a job in audit? “I was looking for a place where I could use my cybersecurity knowledge and that could be in different sectors, including audit,” Joyatee explains. “I wanted to explore how technology can help business objectives, and IT audit helps me combine my technical skills with risk assessment and governance. My main experience is in cybersecurity, but looking back on both that and audit, I see the goal is ultimately the same: to reduce the risk in an organization and build a resilient system.”
“I need a platform where I can develop my skills and get the opportunity to learn more. Reanda provided me with that opportunity,”
Joyatee Datta, Junior IT Auditor at Reanda Netherlands.
The right environment
Mainly, Joyatee was looking for a place that would be appropriate for her. It didn’t matter if it was a big or small company. Finding the right environment was the most important. And so the question is: did she find it? “Yes,” she says confidently. “I need a platform where I can develop my skills and get the opportunity to learn more. I think Reanda provided me that opportunity. Here people are approachable and appreciate different perspectives and ideas. That is what I wanted. The right environment matters because that is ultimately what helps me grow. But there’s also the personal side and the connections we have with each other. The team bonding is very important. You need a safe space to share both your personal and work life with your team. I think I found that team and I feel very happy about that.”
Finding the right approach
A big part of Joyatee’s job as a junior IT auditor is understanding the business and its IT environment. Every engagement starts with getting to know the business, understanding how the systems work and what the underlying processes are. “Every client has new technologies and systems. We check the controls and audit their activities in access management, for example. You get a different experience every time and that offers a platform to learn. The challenge is to keep looking into new ways to solve the problem. It’s a combination of technical knowledge, understanding the environment and finding the right approach. I feel very happy that my technical skills aren’t fading away.”
Room to explore
Besides looking into the systems and companies of their various clients, Joyatee also enjoys the freedom to research more about her own interests in different technologies. “Currently, I’m very much interested to see how AI is being used in different companies and in different integrated systems. I’d love to explore more in that area and my team is very supportive about that. I used to write articles and tech blogs and Tarik, our team lead, encouraged me to come up with some ideas on AI as well. I do my research along with the engagement I’m working on. If you’re interested in something, you find the time to work on it. In our team, we get to explore. The juniors are exposed to new ideas trending in the market, and the seniors are always open to listen. We can come up with our own approach and explore our own ideas. I really appreciate that.”
“People at Reanda are approachable and are open to different perspectives”
Expanding the team and the scope
All in all, it seems to have been a very worthwhile year for Joyatee. “Yes, it is,” she says fondly. “It feels good to reflect on how far I’ve come, to look back on what I have done. I was a little nervous at first about this being a high-pressure field, but here our team leads are trying to make things as easy for us as possible. And when we see the effort from their side, the juniors also try to ease the pressure as much as possible and keep the teamwork going. We share the work, there’s not a single person who carries everything. We are open in our communication and if we make a mistake, well, that’s the process and it’ll help the team to grow. We will continue to grow in numbers, expand our scope, and keep growing together.”
