Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 15 | Page 91

GET TO KNOW... On the lighter side of things, we ask the industry experts what makes them tick. . . . John McLoughlin, Managing Director, J2 Software What would you describe as your most memorable achievement? We fly though life and I don’t think we can ever rest on one specific achievement. Whether it is my marriage, the birth of my children, fighting and surviving a long cancer battle, the first day we launched J2 Software or signed up our first customer, these are all achievements that evoke very powerful memories and a great deal of pride. However, none of these are my achievements alone. In all these amazing moments there are others involved in this success. I am extremely fortunate to be surrounded by amazing team members in life and business. What first made you think of a career in technology? As a youngster I was amazed by James Bond, specifically by all the gadgets and cool technology that he got to use in every movie. I was always waiting to see what he would be given and how he would handle it. This sparked a desire to be involved in technology. I believed from a young age that the right technology, applied correctly, can help save the world. This is where it started and from there my love of technology has never waned. What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position? Management style is a constant work in progress. Like our cybersecurity solution, there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to management. But micromanagement does not work and devours valuable business focus time. So, I try to find people to join www.intelligentcio.com the team who are virtually capable of managing themselves. This means that my time is freed up to focus on business efficiencies and growth. I believe there is always something that I can improve on and I set myself high standards. What do you think will emerge as the technology trend of 2018 and why? I believe that 2018 is the year of increased cybersecurity. We are pushing very hard to raise awareness among everyday users and deliver a new range of solutions to identify and combat cyberattacks. The attackers are getting more innovative and changing the way they target and deliver cyberattacks on your business. This means without innovation as our defence, we are bound to lose. What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry? From our perspective as a security services provider, we would identify investing into constantly changing technology stacks as one of the biggest in the industry. As a company, we concurrently invest in skills development and internships to address the skills gap in cybersecurity skills on the “ I BELIEVED FROM A YOUNG AGE THAT THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY, APPLIED CORRECTLY, CAN HELP SAVE THE WORLD. INTELLIGENTCIO 91