GO PHISH
down parts of my home , redesigning and rebuilding it .
If you could go back and change one career decision , what would it be ?
I would change an experience I had at a data centre in Chicago . I was asked to rebuild the cabling , which was a real mess . It was early in my career and I walked in and bumped the servers and inadvertently took down the entire network .
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in the cybersecurity industry ?
I think there are three areas of hot investment right now .
The first is in identity . As organisations depend less and less on networks and infrastructure and cloud computing becomes the new norm , people ’ s trust will shift towards the identity of individuals behind the keyboard . Identity is very important and I think it will become an area of continuous growth and investment .
The second area of significant investment is cloud security – specifically cloud native security . It ’ s a very hot market and we ’ ll continue to see it grow to a point where it ’ s going to surpass markets of network and traditional legacy .
The third is data itself . A hot investment opportunity lies in behaviour analytics and Machine Learning – a booming market in cybersecurity that is only in its infancy right now .
Are there any differences in the way cybersecurity challenges need to be tackled in the different regions ?
There is a presumption that there are different needs or requirements to cybersecurity in different regions , but the reality is if you ’ re on the Internet , there ’ s the same level of cyber-risk .
There is a concerning ‘ we are untouchable ’ mindset in some regions that feel isolated from a cultural point of view , but that ’ s not the reality . When I was in the Bahamas and in Hawaii , there was this sentiment that because they are on an island and detached from the mainland , this translated into their interpretation of being at a low digital risk . There are no borders on the Internet , we all exist on one plane .
What changes to your job role have you seen in the last year and how do you see these developing in the next 12 months ?
One of the biggest shifts in the next 12 months I think will be where the CISO sits in the organisation and the function that they serve . Historically , the CISO reported to the CIO and it was a network security focused role partnering with IT . Fast-forward to today , the world is driven by data and the job of the CISO has broadened to cover risk and concepts that go beyond infrastructure .
At a minimum , the responsibility of the CISO is to protect the business on all fronts – from Business Continuity to ransomware attacks to geopolitical risk and everything in between . What ’ s more , a big part of the role is educating customers , building trust and gaining customer confidence . We are in a very crowded and competitive market , so the big differentiator for customers will inevitably keep coming down to ‘ do I trust you ?’ This sentiment will only become more important to customers in years to come and it ’ s the CISO ’ s job to invoke this sense of trust . I think the scope of the role will continue to evolve – perhaps even with a change in title to become ‘ Chief Trust Officer ’.
What advice would you offer somebody aspiring to obtain a C-level position in the security industry ?
My advice would be to broaden your understanding of the people around you , as that will determine the success you have in the partnerships you hold as a C-level executive .
Get to know your team , what motivates them and how they navigate challenges and simultaneously get deeply acquainted with your customers to understand their needs and their business objectives . u
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