Being a Security Advocate with Laura Pelkey

Salesforce Admins Podcast

Today on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we talk to Laura Pelkey, Senior Manager of Customer Security Awareness & Engagement at Salesforce.

Join us as we chat about how to be a security-minded advocate within your organization and what it could do for your career.

You should subscribe for the full episode, but here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Laura Pelkey.

What security means for admins

Even though Summer is the time for vacations and fun in the sun, Laura wants to remind us that security threats don’t take time off. That’s why it’s so important for every organization to have security advocates: people who are consistently vocal about security.

You might already be doing all the good stuff we’ve talked about in past episodes, like password enforcement and TFA, but this is about taking it a step further. It’s thinking like a security leader and looking into the future by requesting budget to address security debt or get more help on your team. “As a business professional, as an admin, as someone who’s in charge of aspects of data security, you’re leveling up by acting this way,” Laura says.

Having security conversations

Things have changed since 2020. More people are working remotely, and more and more business operations have gone digital. Hand in hand with that, the responsibilities of an admin have increased.

Security is a big job that touches on all areas of your business. So if you encounter a problem that you can’t address with the security tools in Salesforce, how can you be proactive and partner with security allies across your organization? For example, if you notice phishing emails targeting your users, you could work with IT to create some training around what to look out for.

Where security advocacy is going

Being a security advocate has a lot of benefits for you, too. Being proactive instead of reactive will save you a lot of time and headaches. In our phishing example, your users receiving that training could mean you get a suspicious email forwarded to you instead of having to do damage control after your Salesforce org has been compromised.

Security advocacy could even take your career in a new direction. Laura points out that her own job in security awareness didn’t exist ten years ago. “This is a huge value add to your career,” she says. As a Salesforce Admin, you are the expert on what needs to be protected in your org, so make sure you get a seat at the table.

Be sure to check out the full episode for info on the Trailhead Security Superbadge, and what Laura has to say about imposter syndrome.

Podcast swag

• Salesforce Admins on the Trailhead Store

Learn more

• Watch: The Admin Guide to Becoming a Cybersecurity Advocate

• Trailhead: Security Advocacy Specialist Superbadge

• Podcast: Kick Off 2023 as a Security-Minded Admin with Lynn Simons and Laura Pelkey

• NIST.gov: Cybersecurity Advocates: Discovering the Characteristics and Skills for an Emergent Role

Social

• Laura: https://trailblazer.me/id/lpelkey

• Admin Trailblazer group: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/trailblazer-community/groups/0F9300000001oVpCAI

• Salesforce Admins: @SalesforceAdmns

• Gillian: @GillianKBruce

• Mike: @MikeGerholdt