Maja Legernæs: Loving the combination of working with hard and soft skills

- To put it quite simple, I’m a translator, says Maja. I talk with clients, get an in-depth understanding of what they need and want to achieve, and work with our technical staff to translate that into technical solutions. I love this combination of working with hard and soft skills.

Maja and her colleagues work with a wide range of cyber security topics, from access management to vulnerability management, risk management, threat intelligence, monitoring and incident management.

- Working together with colleagues is a big part of my day. I really enjoy brainstorming ideas with others, be it for a presentation, a technical solution, infrastructure, or something simple as an e-mail. Even though I worked very much alone on my master’s degree, and loved it, it turns out that working closely with others is even more rewarding.

With around 500 cyber security specialists at Tietoevry, Maja has no shortage of people to bounce ideas off and get input from.

Cyber security, a field of increasing importance

Cyber security is of increasing importance, and sometimes Maja needs a time-out from thinking about the impact of her work.

- We contribute to basically everything people need to live, society to function and businesses to operate. It would become somewhat overwhelming if I were to think about the importance of my job all the time. At the same time, taking a step back in a hectic day and reflecting on what I do gives me a boost. It’s all about striking the right balance – thinking, but not overthinking.

Maja has adapted a pragmatic and realistic approach to her job, knowing that she can’t predict or prevent all things that could go wrong.
- I accept that I can’t prevent everything, so it’s more about being ready and prepared to deal with the unforeseen. We simulate crisis scenarios on a regular basis, close security gaps and know what to do when we are needed.

Maja and her colleagues are well prepared for the present, while keeping an eye on the future. The field of cyber security is fast-paced and becoming even more sophisticated.

- Hackers become better at their job every day, and our job is to stay one step ahead of them. It’s an exciting race, we must up our game continuously. Just as other trends do, malware and techniques used by hackers change constantly. From simple denial of service attacks to using quantum computers to crack algorithms we never imagined can be cracked. The field of cyber security is wider in scope than most imagine. There’s no shortage of areas in which we can and have to develop our expertise. I say: Bring it on!

Flexibility in its true sense

Flexibility is a key word for Maja when it comes to her preferences at work and working remotely is one dimension of this flexibility.
- At Tietoevry, there is no “one size fits all”, which is a big plus for me. I can decide where I work and there are no outdated rules about how often you must be in the office.

There is also great flexibility when it comes to your field of expertise.
- I know that my manager would support me if I wanted to change my domain, moving away from cyber security. I have had many colleagues who have switched, both to and from cybersecurity.

A final aspect of flexibility Maja appreciates is the work/life balance.
- When I’m on, I can be 100% focused, but I also have the right to log off. No one expects me to respond to e-mails after hours. I know many other companies claim to have such policies but don’t always practice what they preach. Tietoevry does, thankfully. 


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