AI and cybersecurity expert – Beata Zalewa
Beata Zalewa is an AI and cybersecurity expert with nearly 20 years of experience in IT. Her work spans solution architecture, software development, Microsoft Azure, security and education. She helps organisations design technology that not only works, but also remains secure, understandable and maintainable.
As an AI and cybersecurity expert, she combines extensive technical knowledge with the ability to explain complex subjects clearly. She is the founder of ZALNET, a certified AI developer and a Microsoft security specialist. Moreover, she has held Microsoft Certified Trainer status continuously since 2010. In total, Beata has delivered more than 50,000 hours of training to over 10,000 people. During the past three years alone, she has conducted more than 700 hours of AI training. She has also delivered over 1,000 hours of cybersecurity training. In addition, she teaches at university level and creates openly available technical resources. She also speaks at conferences in both Polish and English.
Beata Zalewa: from education to IT architecture
Before Beata began designing cloud solutions and security systems, she worked as a teacher. She graduated in education studies from Maria Curie-Skłodowska University. Later, she completed postgraduate studies in information technology at Lublin University of Technology. From there, she built her IT career from the ground up. She started with databases and software development before moving into architecture, cloud technologies and cybersecurity. During the 2024/2025 academic year, she continued her education at the Silesian University of Technology. There, she completed the postgraduate programme Cyber Science: Cybersecurity Management.
As a result, she can examine technology from several perspectives: as an architect, implementation specialist, developer, user and educator. Importantly, she does not separate security from functionality or implementation from the subsequent development of a team's capabilities.
Beata can translate business requirements into High-Level Designs, Low-Level Designs, Build and Implementation Guides and Standard Operating Procedures. At the same time, she explains complex technical decisions in language that people outside the IT sector can understand.
How AI and cybersecurity expert Beata Zalewa supports organisations
Beata's projects cover the entire solution lifecycle. They extend from needs analysis and architecture through implementation and testing to deployment, maintenance, monitoring and user enablement.
AI security and AI Red Teaming
This area covers risk assessment, threat modelling, adversarial testing, prompt injection testing, data protection and guardrails. It also includes monitoring and the secure deployment of AI agents and models.
Microsoft Security and Blue Team operations
Beata works with Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Entra ID, Intune, KQL and SIEM/SOAR. Her work also covers incident response, threat analysis and operational resilience.
Azure, software development and DevSecOps
Her technology stack includes Microsoft Azure, .NET, Python, Azure DevOps, CI/CD and API integrations. In addition, she works with automation, infrastructure as code and security throughout the software development lifecycle.
Training, mentoring and consulting
Programmes for organisations, practical workshops, certification preparation, architectural consulting and support for technical teams and leaders.
AI and cybersecurity expert Beata Zalewa as a speaker
What matters is not simply the number of entries in a professional biography, but the breadth of experience behind them. Beata combines technical projects, education, community initiatives and the public sharing of knowledge.
Cybersecurity Specialist with Passion
In 2025, Beata received the Cybersecurity Specialist with Passion title from the Polish Institute of Cyberpsychology Foundation. The award recognised her technical expertise, cyberpsychological support and work promoting the ethical use of technology.
View confirmation of the award ↗ISSA Forum 2026 expert
As a speaker and expert, Beata discussed the responsible deployment of AI models at ISSA Forum 2026. In particular, she emphasised the importance of standards, audits, testing and continuous monitoring.
Read the ISSA Poland article ↗Mentor and conference speaker
Beata supports participants in professional and community programmes as a mentor. She also speaks at conferences and technical events while actively sharing her knowledge and experience with technology communities.
View the conference archive →Publications and open knowledge
Beata is the author of technical articles published in specialist magazines, including IT Professional. Furthermore, she shares code, presentations, laboratories and educational resources on GitHub.
View Beata's GitHub profile ↗Expert commentary by Beata Zalewa
As an AI and cybersecurity expert, Beata comments on current industry developments. She contributes through interviews and expert media commentary. Her subjects include the transparency of public IT systems, data security and implementation of the NIS2 Directive. Moreover, she discusses emerging cyber threats and the influence of artificial intelligence on offensive and defensive techniques. Her commentary combines technical experience with an assessment of the practical consequences of technological and organisational decisions.
The Pasieka na Roztoczu blog
Together with her daughter, Beata runs the Pasieka na Roztoczu blog. They write about the daily lives of bees and explain how a hive works. The blog also describes a beekeeper's responsibilities and the appropriate care of honey bee colonies. Through this work, they demonstrate the important role bees play in nature and explain how people can support pollinators responsibly.
Qualifications of AI and cybersecurity expert Beata Zalewa
Beata's technical experience is complemented by formal expertise in risk management, auditing and incident response. She also understands the relevant legal requirements and the challenges of leading cybersecurity teams.
Certified Cybersecurity Manager
Beata holds the market qualification Cybersecurity Management – Manager, which forms part of Poland's Integrated Qualifications System. The certificate was issued by the Polish Information Processing Society and remains valid until 27 October 2030.
- Level 6 of the Polish Qualifications Framework
- Risk, incident and business continuity management
- Organisational governance, legal requirements and team development
Cyber Science: Cybersecurity Management
Beata completed this two-semester postgraduate programme at the Silesian University of Technology's Faculty of Applied Mathematics. She achieved a very good final result. The programme comprised 215 hours of teaching and 30 ECTS credits.
- Law, standards, risk management and auditing
- Incident response and digital forensics
- Technical, psychosocial and managerial aspects of cybersecurity
- Artificial intelligence, blockchain and financial-sector security
Beata Zalewa's professional memberships and technology communities
Professional development also depends on exchanging knowledge and working with others. Therefore, Beata participates actively in several professional organisations and communities. These groups bring together cybersecurity experts, trainers, Microsoft technology specialists and women developing their careers in the technology sector.
ISSA Poland
Beata Zalewa has been a member of ISSA Poland – the Information Systems Security Association – since May 2026. The organisation brings together cybersecurity professionals and practitioners while supporting knowledge exchange and the continued development of the industry.
Discover ISSA Poland ↗Women Go Cyber
Beata has been a member of the Women Go Cyber Association since January 2026. The community supports women working in cybersecurity, develops technical and leadership capabilities and provides opportunities for mentoring and collaboration.
Discover Women Go Cyber ↗NTHW – Not The Hidden Wiki
Beata is an ambassador for the Not The Hidden Wiki community. She co-creates free educational initiatives, provides mentoring and publishes resources covering cloud technologies, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Together with NTHW, she has delivered CyberAdvent and August Camps in the Azure Cloud. She has also supported a collaborative learning programme for the Burp Suite Certified Practitioner examination.
Discover Not The Hidden Wiki ↗Microsoft communities
Beata has held Microsoft Certified Trainer status continuously since 2010. She remains active in Microsoft trainer and technology expert communities. She shares her expertise through training courses, conferences and technical meetings. At the same time, she continually develops her knowledge of Microsoft Azure, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, .NET and Microsoft 365.
Learn about the Microsoft Certified Trainer community ↗Technical certifications held by AI and cybersecurity expert Beata Zalewa
Beata's technical certifications demonstrate a broad range of capabilities. They cover cybersecurity architecture, Security Operations Centre activities, DevOps, identity, Azure AI and AWS cloud fundamentals.
Certificates, qualifications and memberships
The following documents confirm Beata's qualifications in cybersecurity management and completion of the Cyber Science postgraduate programme. They also confirm her membership of professional organisations. Select an image to open the document at full size.
Publications, resources and projects by Beata Zalewa
Knowledge sharing does not end when a training course or conference session concludes. Therefore, the AI and cybersecurity expert publishes step-by-step instructions, code and technical laboratories. She also shares recordings and presentation slides that people can revisit during their independent study.
Open technical resources
The ZALNET blog contains more than 100 articles. They cover Microsoft Azure, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, .NET, Python, OSINT, certification preparation and AI security.
Cyberpszczola and the human side of technology
The Cyberpszczola project develops the idea of Netiquette 2.0. It promotes responsible communication, empathy and safety in both online and AI-supported environments. Meanwhile, Beata's talks about cyberbullying and protecting children online combine her technical expertise with her background in education.
CyberAdvent x NTHW
CyberAdvent developed from Beata Zalewa's idea for free educational meetings. During the sessions, experienced professionals share their knowledge with people beginning careers in cybersecurity. Together with Michał Błaszczak, Krystian Kaczmarek and the Not The Hidden Wiki community, she developed a 23-day calendar. It featured a new session every day. In 2024, the event attracted hundreds of participants and viewers, while the recordings remained freely available. Furthermore, the 2025 edition was expanded to include sessions delivered in both Polish and English.
Beata Zalewa and August Camps in the Azure Cloud
From 1 to 31 August 2025, Beata delivered a free community mentoring programme for beginners. Participants received daily exercises and tutorials and could join online workshops and question-and-answer sessions. The programme covered Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Entra, Defender, Sentinel, Intune, artificial intelligence and Copilot tools. It also supported preparation for the AZ-900, SC-900 and AI-900 examinations. As a result, a complete collection of Polish and English resources remains available for further independent learning.
External sources and professional profiles
Bees that teach collaboration
Beata's own apiary in Roztocze provides a welcome break from the digital world. Observing bees offers not only an opportunity to rest, but also inspiration for thinking about teams, communication and responsibility.
Interestingly, the apiary also intersects with technology. Beata demonstrated this connection during a presentation at Data Science Summit. She explored how Azure OpenAI and Computer Vision could support the identification of diseases affecting bees.
Discover Pasieka na Roztoczu ↗First, however, we need to understand the environment, the people and the problem we are trying to solve.
Talk to an AI and cybersecurity expert about your project
Do you need advice on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, Microsoft cloud technologies or the development of your team's capabilities? You do not need a finished specification. A problem, objective or initial idea is enough to begin the conversation with Beata Zalewa.