GO PHISH
WE ‘ GO PHISHING ’ WITH DR ANGELIKA EKSTEEN ,
CSO , STRATEGIC SECURITY AT HELP AG , WHO
TELLS US ABOUT LIFE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE OFFICE .
What would you describe as your most memorable achievement in the cybersecurity industry ?
Building my business here in the Middle East , when I started to introduce strategic security services to the market , it was not a well-known subject and the need for it was only apparent to a few . Being able to change this , obviously with help from local standards that raised awareness for this matter , is an achievement which is not just good for Help AG , but also for the community as it helps all organisations to be more secure ; this is particularly important in light of the latest developments regarding cybercrime .
What first made you think of a career in cybersecurity ?
This is a long story of changing from university , where I did pure mathematics ,
Middle East companies will face significant compliance challenges . to a job in industry and a more applied science , at that time called ‘ information security ’. It took some time to make this decision , as I really loved my mathematics , but I have never regretted that step ! Evolving from ‘ information security ’ to ‘ cybersecurity ’ was just the next logical step .
What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position ?
Only employ people that are better than yourself !
My team is the biggest contributor to success and I do enjoy supporting people and helping them grow into more and more senior positions . I do not believe in micro-management . Rather I give people the room to develop and take responsibility , and I also believe in leading by example .
What do you think is the current hot cybersecurity talking point ?
Being deeply involved in cybersecurity compliance , I see GDPR as a big development in the space . With the regulation being implemented this year , there will be interesting implications for Middle East businesses as well . Simply stated , any company , even one outside the EU , which is targeting consumers in the EU , will be subject to GDPR .
Many EU organisations are therefore becoming highly selective of the partners they choose to work with and Middle East companies will face significant compliance challenges .
In addition to this , the greatest and most powerful transformation in technology I have ever seen is recent , but it outstrips – in my view – any other technology development of the past due to its unique and incredible potential to reform the overall work life : artificial intelligence ( AI ).
The evolution of AI happened silently , and almost went unnoticed by the public , but it will change many , many jobs and create big new potential . But it also has a threat component . The
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