Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 29 | Page 102

///////////////////////////////////// FINAL WORD GDPR: Data- protection soul- searching, not just compliance With just a couple of months to go, reports and surveys frequently indicate that CIOs and business owners are concerned about and unprepared for GDPR. And the race is on, with a Veritas study indicating that more than half of organisations are yet to start work on meeting the minimum requirements set by GDPR. Tarek Jundi, Managing Director, Middle East and Turkey, McAfee, tells us how enterprises should best approach it. M any organisations are looking to bring their cyber procedures and capabilities up to scratch ahead of its becoming enforceable in May 2018. But, with an evolving IT threat landscape, new technologies introducing new risk, and a cyber-skills deficit, it’s important that CIOs and IT directors not only focus on this critical deadline but also look beyond it. Once-in-a generation opportunity From large enterprises to SMEs, many organisations are shifting their traditional business model away from physical assets in favour of a data-driven business model. Cloud, mobility and the advent of Internet of Things are driving this digital transformation, introducing new challenges that organisations must navigate to ensure citizens’ and employees’ data is protected. 102 INTELLIGENTCIO www.intelligentcio.com