GET TO KNOW...
On the lighter side of things, we ask the
industry experts what makes them tick. . . .
Philip Schreiber,
nCipher Security
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What would you describe as your
most memorable achievement?
At nCipher we have a team that is privileged
to work on many projects that impact the
security of systems to safeguard identity;
improve financial inclusion; enable secure
communications; and assist in protecting
sensitive data. I feel very proud to have been
part of that for nearly a decade.
What first made you think of a
career in technology?
I began my career in the 1980s as personal
computing was first making great strides
in the workplace. The promise of this
technology greatly intrigued me.
Consequently, it propelled me to join a
very exciting and fast paced industry –
information security – with opportunities for
success and failure every day.
What do you think is the current
hot technology
talking point?
Customers across the
region are looking at
how cloud technologies
can make their
businesses more agile
and competitive. Every
customer we talk to either
has, or is developing,
a plan to move more
and more services to
the cloud. According to
nCipher’s 2019 Middle
East Encryption Trends
Study, 84% of Middle
Eastern organisations
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INTELLIGENTCIO
polled said they were
currently using cloud
computing services or plan to do
so in the next 12 to 24 months.
How do you deal with stress and
unwind outside the office?
My wife and I like to walk and find that
it gives us both an opportunity to talk
things through. Things that can seem
overwhelming never look as difficult after a
long ‘walk and talk’. We also
like to travel and are looking
forward to our next trip,
which is to Petra in Jordan.
What are the region-
specific challenges
when implementing
new technologies in
the Middle East?
We face an ongoing
challenge to develop
the correct skills base in the Middle East.
Particularly as the Gulf economies look to
diversify from oil we have to invest in skills
and training across all disciplines, especially
in the areas where nCipher specialises,
information security
and cryptography.
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?
At nCipher
we have had
a particularly
exciting 12
months.
Earlier this year, we were
divested from Thales and
subsequently acquired
by Entrust Datacard, so
building our new team has
been a great challenge.
In the next 12 months we
will continue to establish
our place as an Entrust
Datacard company and take
our combined message to
our partners and customers
across the region. n
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