Cybersecurity is often seen as a thankless, behind-the-scenes job, but it is at the heart of protecting customer trust and organisational reputation. Clicks Group head of IT Ridwan Khan’s approach to cybersecurity is one of preparation, partnerships and continuous improvement.
2024 was a milestone year for Ridwan, as he received the cybersecurity award at the CIO Awards, recognising his exceptional leadership and contributions to strengthening cybersecurity – a vital pillar for modern organisations.
“When we started addressing cyber risks, it wasn’t reactive – we started planning years ago,” Ridwan explains. “You can’t be a jack-of-all-trades in cybersecurity. Partnering with organisations that specialise in specific cyber competencies is a stepping stone for staying ahead.”
Over the past five years, Ridwan and his team at Clicks have been tirelessly working on a comprehensive cybersecurity roadmap. The first step was to pinpoint their weaknesses, a critical yet often overlooked aspect of planning. “Acknowledging where you’re vulnerable is step one. That self-awareness enables you to make targeted interventions,” he notes.
Their approach has included:
- Strengthening perimeter security by focusing on high-risk areas like websites and cloud storage.
- Partnering with forensic operations and service operations centres to protect mission-critical systems.
- A conservative, calculated approach to cloud usage. “Not everything needs to sit in the cloud. Some things, especially sensitive data, are better managed in your own container,” he emphasises.
- Internal training and compliance for employees. “A lot of breaches happen due to non-malicious but ignorant actions by employees. We’ve instituted tutorials, awareness programmes and training workshops in high-risk departments.”
Ridwan views cybersecurity as an ever-evolving landscape. “If someone says they have a perfect cybersecurity plan, it’s untrue. Cyber-challenges shift every day, and criminals spend 24/7 finding vulnerabilities. We have to remain agile and sharp, systematically handling risks and partnering with notable industry experts.”
During his award acceptance speech, Ridwan acknowledged his head of cybersecurity and team. The recognition he received for this work at the CIO Awards was, unsurprisingly, a proud moment for both him and Clicks. “Was I gunning for the main award? Yes!” Ridwan laughs, “But receiving the cybersecurity recognition was fulfilling. It reassured our leadership teams that we are on the right path.”
