Meet the Ona - Emanuela (Ema) Ionas
As we kick off Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we are excited to bring back our Meet the Ona series.
Throughout the month, we will be highlighting members of our Onapsis Research Labs team. We’ll discuss their backgrounds, what motivates them, and what is next for them. Check out the latest installment below featuring Emanuela (Ema) Ionas:
Please introduce yourself to the rest of the Tribe and share a little about your background – could be family, where you live, current role etc.
Hello! My name is Emanuela Ionas, but pretty much everyone calls me Ema. I’m from the northern part of Romania, where I live with my five year old daughter (dog) named after a classic Romanian sweet. My current role at Onapsis is on the Security Research Team, where I’ve been for almost a year and half.
Please share your journey / story. What brought you to Onapsis?
Before Onapsis, I was working in DevSecOps, but I didn’t feel it was the right path for me. I wanted to study cybersecurity more in depth. When I saw the job posting on Onapsis’ LinkedIn page, I knew it was the right choice for me and the next step in my career. Once I spoke with the team it even further solidified that this was the right place for me to learn and grow within the industry.
In your spare time, what motivates you / drives you?
In my spare time, I have a strong desire to create and express myself. It’s extremely important to me to be able to spend my spare time focusing on this aspect of myself. Experimenting in art and creative expression provides an outlet for me that helps me stay motivated personally and professionally.
How do you bring your personal values to work with you?
I genuinely enjoy helping people and working on a team. With the Security Research team, I know we’re working toward and contributing to the greater good of protecting people, and that feels very rewarding to me on a personal level.
Is there an Ona value that resonates with you most?
The Ona value that resonates most with me is: Respect. Being open and kind in everything I do is a core value and very important to me. Having respect is something I pride myself on and I try to surround myself with people who feel the same.
Why is Onapsis the place where you share your talents?
With the Onapsis team I’m allowed to get out of my shell and feel empowered to experiment with my curiosity. We are encouraged to find creative solutions with a solid team in a good environment; there isn’t really a major fear of failure.
What advice do you have for Onas wanting to pursue a dream or challenge personally or professionally?
If I could go back and tell myself one thing it would be don’t be scared to make mistakes. I’d offer that as advice for anyone wanting to pursue a dream or a challenge. It feels difficult to do something new and maybe not initially succeed, but the payoff is worth it!
What is next for you?
That is a tough question! Overall, I am very excited to continue my growth professionally and personally. Challenging myself to grow in the cybersecurity industry and within the team is an exciting next step that I’m looking forward to.
From your perspective, how does Cybersecurity Awareness Month positively impact the industry and every day people alike?
Cybersecurity Awareness Month is another opportunity to highlight the importance of remaining vigilant. Threat actors are not only going after large corporations, but smaller groups do target consumers. It’s a great reminder to always be conscious about protecting yourself and your data online.
