GO PHISH
forces me to disconnect for a bit. Also,
I have three energetic young children,
so I spend most of my free time with
them running around and enjoying their
sports and activities of choice – I find
that children are a brilliant distraction
to ensure that we do not take ourselves
too seriously.
Also, although injuries have slowed me
down, I try and sneak in a game of rugby
whenever I can – there really is nothing
like it to deal with the stresses of life!
If you could go back and
change one career decision
what would it be?
Honestly, I would not change a single
thing, as I am a product of all the things I
got right and wrong. I am a firm believer
that the challenges you encounter
through life help you build resilience.
The only way you will improve both as
a human being, and in your career, is if
you meet the challenges head-on and
successfully navigate them.
What do you currently identify as
the major areas of investment in
your industry?
I touched on the potential for Artificial
Intelligence and Machine Learning to be
an industry game-changer – given the
right use cases, these technologies can
tip the scales in favour of white hats.
Cloud is another area where we will see
significant investment when it comes to
cybersecurity. According to McAfee’s
Navigating a Cloudy Sky: Practical
Guidance and the State of Cloud Security
report, more than 95% of companies
today use cloud services and 83% store
sensitive data in the cloud. Yet only 30%
of companies state they can protect
data with the same policies across their
devices, network and in the cloud. Only
36% report they can enforce data loss
prevention (DLP) rules in the cloud at
all. As a consequence, we can expect to
see adoption of Secure Access Service
Edge (SASE) architecture, which aims
to increase security and
reduce the cost and
complexity of modern
cybersecurity.
What are the regionspecific
challenges
when implementing
new technologies in
the Middle East?
Broadly speaking, I
think we still have work to do in the
region when it comes to having the
skills needed to combat today’s most
sophisticated threats. One way to get
around this is to cross-pollinate best
practices more openly and not to cut
corners when it comes to investing in
resources and technologies.
More specifically, if we look at cloud
security, one of the biggest challenges
is around educating customers on the
demarcation between service provider
and company responsibilities in the
cloud – too many customers assume
that the cybersecurity requirements are
automatically taken care of when they
contract a cloud service provider. This
is a mistake.
Cloud security is a shared responsibility.
We are advising customers to get a
clear matrix of ownership between
Too many customers
assume that the
cybersecurity
requirements are
automatically taken
care of when they
contract a cloud
service provider.
themselves and the cloud provider.
Particular focus should be made to data
leakage from the cloud, to the cloud and
between multiple clouds. The companies
contracting cloud service providers must
pay attention to this as they outsource
workloads and applications to the cloud.
What changes to your job
role have you seen in the l
ast year and how do you see
these developing in the next
12 months?
I have seen more attackers coming up
with new ideas during the recent global
pandemic. As a result, we are trying to
stay ahead of the attackers by enforcing
certain standards within our customer
base, carrying out penetration testing
and cyber assessments to see where
gaps may be.
What advice would you offer
somebody aspiring to obtain a
C-level position in your industry?
Knowledge is key. In this day and
age, particularly in the cybersecurity
industry where the pace of technology
advancement is so rapid, we cannot
rely on generic understandings of our
industry. We need to study constantly
and keep abreast of the latest threats
and defences – the more current your
knowledge, the more relevant your role
in the industry.
Also, from my own experience I can tell
you that being a servant leader will go a
long way in helping you build a tight-knit,
high-performing team. u
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