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What are the region-specific
challenges when implementing
new technologies in Africa?
Each region has its own challenges.
In some countries in Africa they
are behind the technology curve
and require a huge amount of re-
architecture and investment to deploy
the latest technology.
Once the new technology is implemented
the harder part is to ensure it is
maintained and monitored by certified
individuals and this is an area where I
feel we are lacking in the entire African
continent. The skill shortage is probably
our biggest challenge in my industry.
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?
How do you deal with stress and
unwind outside the office?
I am training for the 947 Cycle Challenge
and I find that exercise helps me cope with
the stresses of life. When I am not training, I
like spending time with family and friends to
“
I BELIEVE IN AN
OPEN-DOOR
MANAGEMENT
PHILOSOPHY
WHERE I
ENCOURAGE TEAM
WORK, PROMOTE
INDIVIDUAL
EXPRESSION AND
FOCUSING THE
TEAM ON THE
OBJECTIVES OF
THE COMPANY.
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INTELLIGENTCIO
create some sort of balance between work
and play. I believe it is important to take a
break every now and then to recharge the
batteries and come back with a fresh mind.
If you could go back and change one
career decision what would it be?
That’s a difficult question because I am
happy where I am today. I do believe the
decisions I have made in my career has
brought me to my current role. I will however
say that I did enjoy owning my own business
and I should have looked at doing that
earlier on in my career to capitalise on the
Internet boom.
My vision is to one day be able to invest in a
technology company that I can be involved
in the background during my retirement
period and beyond.
What do you currently identify as
the major areas of investment in
your industry?
With many devices connecting to the Internet
(including mobile devices, TVs, fridges, cars
and cameras) I am seeing large investment
on developing security solutions for these
types of connected devices. In addition,
as organisations move their data to cloud
platforms so does the spend move to security
technologies that enable cloud adoption
without compromising security posture.
Since I have only been in my current job
role for nearly six months, I can’t comment
on the last 12 months, but I do see my role
changing. In tough economic times we are
forced to get creative to find new business.
We need to find new markets to sell our
product to and this requires out of the box
thinking and getting the team to do tasks
that may be out of their comfort zone.
What advice would you offer
somebody aspiring to obtain C-level
position in your industry?
In the security industry I would say that a
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
would be the C-level position to aspire to.
The best advice I can give for someone
that wants to become a CISO is to
ensure that you have a solid educational
background with knowledge in both
technology and business. An aspiring
CISO should come out of an enterprise
information security role with both
technical experience, managerial
experience and good communication skills.
I would highly recommend that this person
looks at getting some industry recognised
information security certifications such as
Certified Information Security Manager
(CISM) or Certified Information Systems
Security Professional (CISSP). n
www.intelligentcio.com