GO PHISH
to the wind and the waves , while trying to outsmart and catch a Tuna – which brings a different kind of stress . Saving the best for last , I ’ ve got an amazing family , my two kids and my wife definitely help me de-stress outside of work and they provide a necessary distraction when I need it .
If you could go back and change one career decision what would it be ?
Considering where we are today , there isn ’ t really anything I would completely change . If I ’ m being nit-picky , maybe I would make marginal changes to some decisions I ’ ve made in the past . I mean the way we have built Nclose has been done conservatively , which probably contributed to slower growth as a business but by doing that we ’ ve built an incredible foundation today , which has given us tremendous resiliency in an industry of constant change .
If anything , with all the responsibilities I have today and if I was approached to start a business , I would turn it down compared to when I started Nclose in my 20s with no responsibilities , for example , I didn ’ t have a wife or kids to factor in , only myself back then .
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in the cybersecurity industry ?
By far the biggest investment is people , educating and giving people the opportunity to join this industry . From a South African perspective , the skills shortage in the industry is not something that can ’ t be solved . We have such a vast volume of unskilled and skilled youth ready to learn or grab opportunities .
The nature of our country has made us incredibly resilient people . We make things happen and there is so much untapped potential from the people in our country that needs to be realised . We are proper thought leaders and inventors if given the opportunity .
Are there any differences in the way cybersecurity challenges need to be tackled in the different regions ?
Different regions have different legislation and cybersecurity requirements may differ or require more or less elements by region . Fortunately , in South Africa our legislation is not very strict when it comes to cybersecurity , so organisations are able to focus on cybersecurity purely for their protection and mitigation processes without having to worry about specific requirements by them or legislation . So , I would say for us , cybersecurity challenges differ in industry rather than per region .
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 ?
Keeping our service delivery consistent . Over the past year Nclose has grown twice over and we continue to get larger . With that growth in business , you need to have a tremendous amount of structure , but the challenge is delivering a service like a small business .
What I mean by that is how we have engaged with our customers since we were a small business . With us getting bigger , that quality of service , our culture , relationship building , communication and making lives easier for our customers stays exactly the same as it was when we were a handful of people .
You need to be able to engage with people on the right level . That ’ s my biggest piece of advice .
What advice would you offer somebody aspiring to obtain a C-level position in the security industry ?
You need to be able to engage with people on the right level . That ’ s my biggest piece of advice . You have to have an open mind ; many people have different opinions and they have the right to differ in opinion .
With that in mind , have robust conversations with people that have different opinions , not for the purpose of challenging them but to understand their perspective . Always listen , because everyone in this industry has earned the right to be where they are and I ’ m not just talking about people in management positions – your team and the people you work closest with will provide you with so much information for you to learn from . u
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