GET TO KNOW...
On the lighter side of things, we ask the
industry experts what makes them tick. . . .
Doros Hadjizenonos,
Regional Sales Director at Fortinet in
South Africa
What would you describe as your
most memorable achievement?
Starting my own IT security distribution
company from scratch. My company
represented many of the top security
vendors and I eventually sold it to one
of the largest security distributors of
that time. It gave me a great sense of
achievement to grow a business to the
point where it was respected and valued by
the local security community.
What first made you think of a
career in technology?
As a kid I used to help my dad at his work
to fix electrical appliances (TVs, video
machines, tape recorders and radios). It’s
funny to think that some people may not
recognise these devices anymore.
I was always fascinated how the electrical
components worked together. This got me
to pursue a degree in electrical engineering
during the early stages of the Internet. I
did my masters on Asynchronous Transfer
Mode Networks and this ultimately got
me interested in the world of the Internet
which landed me my first job as an IT
security engineer.
The IT security industry evolves at a rapid
pace in order to keep up-to-date with the
latest attack methods and I think this is the
reason it has kept me excited to remain in
the same field for almost 20 years.
www.intelligentcio.com
What style of management
philosophy do you employ with
your current position?
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.
I believe that enabling employees to freely
discuss concerns or suggestions with their
management fosters a cohesive team
culture and results in better performance of
the individuals.
“
What do you think is the current hot
technology talking point?
I think there is a lot of talk around Artificial
Intelligence and Machine Learning. We are
seeing these technologies built into our
everyday lives.
As a security vendor, we are incorporating
these types of technologies into our
solutions to help protect our customers
against the advanced and complex attack
methods used in today’s cyberwarfare.
IT GAVE ME A
GREAT SENSE OF
ACHIEVEMENT TO
GROW A BUSINESS
TO THE POINT
WHERE IT WAS
RESPECTED AND
VALUED BY THE
LOCAL SECURITY
COMMUNITY.
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