GET TO KNOW
What do you think is the current hot technology talking point ?
In cyber , there ’ s a hot talking point every other week ! Zero Trust is a concept that ’ s gained rapid currency of late . Unlike traditional models which are predicated on the assumption that everything outside the boundary is untrustworthy and bad and everything inside is trustworthy and good , it ’ s born from fundamental security principles : defense in depth ; need to know and segmentation . The other big talking point is increased velocity . For modern organizations , doing things faster than the rest of their industry is often the key to competitive advantage . Having cyber capabilities embedded into ICT project teams – attending planning meetings , testing continuously and feeding findings back into the Jira system – means organizations no longer have to sacrifice security for speed .
How do you deal with stress and unwind outside the office ?
I took up running for fitness over 10 years ago and do 10 kilometers , three times a week . The metronomic beat of ‘ left foot , right foot ’ is relaxing . It ’ s quite similar to meditation in that the mind tends to run free and disconnect . I ’ m not competitive – you won ’ t find me in the crowds at the City to Surf – but , like any techie , I can ’ t resist using my Apple watch to gather all my performance data ! The other activity I enjoy is martial arts – a combination of Krav Maga , Boxing and Jujitsu , all of which are quite technical . It takes a lot of concentration to learn the correct underlying techniques and there ’ s nothing like your training partner having you in a choke hold to take your focus off whatever was previously bothering you ! And then sometimes it ’ s therapeutic to just punch a heavy bag in the gym .
If you could go back and change one career decision , what would it be ?
Like many , I believe we are where we are because of the combination of thousands of small events , some positive and some seemingly negative . Studying business alongside engineering at an undergraduate level might perhaps have helped me get up to speed faster when I decided to swap a regular pay packet for the risks and rewards of business ownership .
But having completed an MBA a couple of years ago , I firmly believe that the value is in the application and it ’ s hard to apply CEO skills when you ’ ve yet to have a full-time job . There ’ s also the question of whether I could have started Security Centric sooner than I did but I think if I hadn ’ t taken the time to hone my craft , our value proposition would have been less compelling .
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry ?
Not so long ago , cybersecurity was seen as a solely ICT concern : a niche cost center with a gatekeeping role . Now , there ’ s greater appreciation for what we do from the business side of the business . Organizations view cyber as a commercial differentiator and they ’ re investing time and money to ensure it ’ s aligned with their organizational strategies . Consequently , they ’ re looking to work with specialist partners that have a breadth and depth of expertise that ’ s difficult to amass internally .
What are the region specific challenges when implementing new technologies in APAC ?
Organizations in Australia and surrounding countries are generally smaller than those in other parts of the world . This fact alone can invalidate the approaches and implementation methodologies that work in other , larger markets . In the US , for example , solution vendors typically identify the mid-market as businesses with 5,000 to 10,000 seats but , here in Australia , there aren ’ t that many organizations that are a whole lot larger than that . Scaling down can be a challenge .
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 ?
As Security Centric has matured , my focus has been shifting from operational to strategic ; from developing and overseeing our consulting , professional services , engineering and managed services capabilities to determining how we can support our clients ’ broader business objectives . That ’ s going to continue over the next 12 months . My mission will be to ensure there ’ s clarity around what we do , the outcomes we can effect and the value we ’ re able to provide as a strategic partner .
What advice would you offer to someone aspiring to obtain a C level position in your industry ?
Whether a company is in the business of making cheese , selling widgets or designing high-end fashion , all of the elements of the organization need to serve and further that primary purpose . Focus on that , rather than on the nuts and bolts of the latest technology , and you ’ ll be in high demand . Ours is a small industry which means maintaining a sound professional reputation is very important . Do good , consistent , reliable work and word will get around . p
80 INTELLIGENTCIO APAC www . intelligentcio . com