“ If you involve security at the end, we become the bottleneck. That’ s not the reputation we want,” he said.“ I’ ve raised my hand and said: bring us in from the beginning.”

This approach extends across departments and faculties. As teaching and learning increasingly move onto digital platforms, Mogotsi ensures alignment between academic innovation and institutional security policies. Cross-functional working groups help identify gaps and set shared priorities.

The cybersecurity budget is discussed openly with other stakeholders, tying investment decisions to broader institutional goals.

The talent tug-of-war

One of the most pressing concerns is the lack of cybersecurity talent across the public sector.“ We’ re a public university,” Mogotsi said candidly.“ We can’ t match the salaries that banks or big tech firms offer. When our staff are poached, we can’ t compete financially.”

To adapt, his team focuses on upskilling internal talent, especially in areas like AI and threat detection. Managed SOC services fill some of the remaining gaps. But Mogotsi is also thinking long-term.

He’ s begun advocating for a collaborative national approach that draws from the student pipeline.“ Why can’ t we tap into our third and fourth-year computer science students? We train them, partner with industry and build a talent pipeline for all 26 public universities in South Africa.”

He’ s already initiated conversations with fellow CISOs and academics to explore creating a shared cybersecurity training and internship platform.“ The talent is already here. We need to organise it and focus it.”

A lesson from crisis

Mogotsi’ s philosophy regarding cybersecurity was shaped by a previous experience he describes as a turning point. While working for another organisation – he declines to name it – a major breach exposed just how unprepared they were.“ It was a wake-up call,” he said.“ It forced me to think differently about what resilience really means.”

The breach prompted a complete overhaul in how he approached leadership: greater focus on incident response, clearer communication channels and a more profound commitment to embedding cybersecurity culture into every layer of the organisation.“ Cybersecurity isn’ t just about firewalls and policies,” he said.“ It’ s about people. It’ s about awareness. It’ s about creating a collective sense of responsibility.”

Building shared defences

Mogotsi also advocates for a more unified front across the higher education sector.“ We’ re all fighting the same enemy,” he said.“ Every university holds student data, IP, and research outputs. Yet our threat intelligence is fragmented.”

All 26 public universities in South Africa share the same national research and education network. Mogotsi argues that this commonality should allow for a unified threat intelligence platform – a shared cybersecurity backbone that can spot patterns and alert institutions before it’ s too late.

He’ s begun reaching out to peers and even national government bodies to advance this idea.“ If we collaborate and build this together, we’ ll be far stronger than any university can be alone.”

Advice to the Next Generation

For young professionals entering cybersecurity – especially within the academic or public sector – Mogotsi offers simple advice: be intentional, stay curious and never stop learning.

“ Cybersecurity evolves constantly. You must evolve with it,” he said. He recommends pursuing certifications, engaging with online simulations, and joining professional communities. He serves as Vice President of the Cloud Security Alliance’ s local chapter, supporting training and best practices.

“ Understand how cybersecurity fits into the broader mission of your organisation. Especially in academia, it must be woven into the fabric – not forced on top of it.”

The work is demanding. The hours can be extended. And the enemies are often invisible. But for Mogotsi, the reward lies in knowing you’ re protecting the future – one system, one student, one step ahead of the next threat.

“ We are soldiers,” he said.“ Not in uniform, but on the frontlines of a different kind of war. One that’ s fought with knowledge, vigilance and the willingness to stay ahead of what others don’ t see coming.”

The talent is already here. We need to organise it and focus it.

WWW. INTELLIGENTCISO. COM 17