Vandana Verma — Support each other

Building a stronger security community means helping more kinds of people participate and succeed. Vandana Verma returns to discuss her early work on the OWASP board, her ideas for improving outreach, and the broader meaning of diversity in application security. Chris asks about neurodiversity, inclusion, hiring standards, and how managers can find capable candidates beyond familiar networks. Vandana explains why support and training matter alongside opportunity, and why a skills shortage cannot be solved simply by moving experienced people between companies. She also shares the story of InfoSecGirls and discusses Women in AppSec. Her message is practical and personal: actively welcome people, help them develop their strengths, and support each other as the community grows.The Application Security Podcast is brought to you by Security Journey.About Security JourneySecurity Journey provides application security education for developers and everyone in the software development lifecycle.→ Learn more about Security JourneyConnect with Vandana Verma:→ Vandana Verma’s website→ Vandana Verma on LinkedInMentioned in this episode:→ InfoSecGirls→ OWASP FoundationFollow the Application Security Podcast:➜ Home➜ X➜ LinkedIn➜ YouTube➜ Instagram➜ FacebookChapters:00:00 Supporting the application security community02:58 Vandana’s early experience on the OWASP board04:25 Priorities for community outreach07:01 Understanding the many forms of diversity08:07 Neurodiversity and inclusion09:11 Making diversity a shared effort11:48 Hiring standards and developing potential13:24 How diverse teams strengthen security17:34 Advice for hiring managers19:39 Reaching people beyond familiar networks21:46 The story and growth of InfoSecGirls24:41 Women in AppSec27:14 Support each other