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Michele D. Guel

Distinguished Engineer & Data Security and Privacy Strategist

Office of the CTO, Security Business Group

Michele D. Guel has been an avid speaker, influencer and evangelist in the cybersecurity industry for 31 years. She joined Cisco in March 1996 as the founding member of Cisco’s internal security team. During her 24+ years at Cisco, she has worked in all facets of data, information, network security, IoT operational security excellence and has established many “firsts” at Cisco. In her current role in the Office of the CTO for the Security Business Group, she is focused on data security and privacy strategies for Cisco products and offerings.

In 2010, Michele was promoted to Distinguished Engineer (DE), one of 9 female DEs across Cisco today. In 2014 she co-founded Cisco’s Women in Cybersecurity Community which focuses on developing the next generation of women cybersecurity leaders. In 2016 she received the prestigious Anita Borg’s 2016 Women of Vision Technology Leadership Award.

Prior to joining Cisco, Michele spent 11 years at NASA Ames Research Center, where she formulated, founded and headed the information security program for the Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation (NAS) Facility.

Michele has M.S. in Software Engineering with a concentration in cybersecurity and a B.A., in Mathematics with a minor in cybernetic systems. She has also completed a two-year program in biblical studies.

Articles

August 7, 2020

SECURITY

Preparing for the Unpredictable: Imagining a Data Security and Privacy Platform

3 min read

With stricter privacy regulations, evolving customer expectations, and growing work-from-home demands, organizations need a simple way to know, see, and manage their data. Luckily, Cisco Security has a few ideas.

March 12, 2020

2

SECURITY

Women at Cisco take on the Cyberstart Challenge – Will You?

3 min read

At Cisco, we wanted to create an internal competition to encourage our Women in Cybersecurity community members to step out of their comfort zone and learn new areas of cybersecurity. Nearly one hundred Cisco women across the globe participated in the CyberStart Challenge.

March 27, 2019

SECURITY

Women Leading in Cyber – Welcome to WiCyS 2019

3 min read

It’s time for the annual Women in Cyber Security Conference (WiCyS). Cisco is once again a VIP sponsor as well as a Founding Partner of this motivating and important event.

October 9, 2018

2

SECURITY

Be Fearless: Advice to My 15-Year-Old Self on Pursuing a Cyber Career

3 min read

Women, especially young women, please allow me to share my learnings in hopes of helping you move more confidently down the path to STEM-centric occupations.

March 21, 2018

2

SECURITY

Standing with WiCyS 2018!

2 min read

Working together to bridge the cybersecurity talent gap at the Women in Cybersecurity Conference (WiCyS) on March 22-24 in Chicago! 

October 23, 2017

2

SECURITY

Cisco Takes Exclusivity Out of Cybersecurity

2 min read

Nearly 30 years ago, I attended the first of what would be hundreds of information security conferences throughout my career. I was astonished to be one of only a handful...

March 28, 2017

4

SECURITY

How to Increase the Presence – and Impact – of Women in Cybersecurity

3 min read

This blog is the first in a series of posts featuring perspectives from Cisco women in security. Next month’s blog will feature Chief Privacy Officer, Michelle Dennedy. When I started my information security career at NASA’s Ames Research Center in 1988, there were very few women in the field. In fact, I’d attend conferences in […]