FEATURE: 2017 IN REVIEW
people had been warned. Certain verticals, such as healthcare,
are still dangerously vulnerable.
“Fortinet’s recent survey found that 55% of South African IT
decision-makers said there had been an increased focus on IT
security following global cyberattacks such as WannaCry, but
despite the spiralling cybercrime risk, they still feel that board
members do not prioritise IT security as they should. 41%
of local respondents believe that IT security is still not a top
priority discussion for the board.
“From a Fortinet point of view, our Fortinet Security Fabric was
the start of a wave of change in network security. The Security
Fabric balances the need for agile, on-demand infrastructure
with the need to mitigate growing risks such as ransomware,
DDoS, and zero-day attacks. In this new approach to security,
the network is intelligently secured, with full visibility into every
viable network segment – including endpoints – and threat
intelligence is seamlessly shared and responses automated.”
BRANDON BEKKER: “2017 was the year
that cyberattacks and data breaches shook
the world and forced business decision
makers to sit up and pay attention. As
ransomware attacks like WannaCry, Petya
and Bad Rabbit wreaked havoc on some
of world’s largest businesses and most
prominent organisations, cybersecurity became an important
boardroom discussion. Business leaders soon realised that it
was no longer a matter of if they were likely to be attacked,
but rather when.
“Considering I work for a company that focuses on making
email safer for business, the rise of targeted threats was
certainly not a surprise. What is surprising is that it’s taken this
long for many organisations to realise the damage that can
be caused by email-borne threats like ransomware, phishing
and impersonation fraud.
WHAT DO YOU PERCEIVE AS THE BREAKTHROUGH
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT OF 2017?
PAUL WILLIAMS: “A major trend emerging
in 2017 is the mainstreaming of the cloud
in South Africa. We have seen significant
growth in the number of customers
adopting cloud technologies this year, and
naturally, looking to secure this environment.
“The growing sophistication of cybercriminals, and
the ongoing reactive approach taken by South African
organisations remains a trend and a concern. For example, the
WannaCry ransomware attack in May this year affected South
African enterprises, even though we had seen it coming and
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“If the cyberattacks and data breaches of 2017 weren’t
enough for executives to act fast and implement their
strategies right away, then I think we can brace ourselves for
far more frightening news headlines in 2018.”
“If the cyberattacks of
2017 weren’t enough for
executives to implement
their strategies right away, I
think we can brace ourselves
for far more frightening news
headlines in 2018.”
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