On the back of a successful and intimate dinner on cybersecurity late last year, the CIO South Africa community upsizes to a bigger venue with more voices to be heard – on how IT leaders remain proactive and are ready to respond to cyberthreats.
In a world of evolving technologies, cybersecurity remains a challenge for almost all organisations and it is imperative for CIOs to employ innovative ways to protect their companies against attacks.
During the first CIO South Africa Summit of the year, on 20 February 2024, the country’s leading CIOs will gather to explore, discuss and strategise on the latest developments, challenges, and best practices in the ever-evolving space of cybersecurity.
The prevalence of ransomware attacks, recent trends, and effective mitigation strategies will also be on the agenda. The topic is currently dominating media headlines as prominent universities have recently been victims of ransomware attacks. However, the threat is very real for any organisation that is charged with being the custodian of personal data.
On the day, attendees can look forward to an informative panel discussion on cybersecurity education and compliance with Dr Sylvia Sathekge, CIO at SNG, Tshilidzi Mafenya, IT manager at Siyanda Bakgatla Platinum Mine, and Mary-Lyn Raath, head of Digital South Africa at iOCO.
The learning won’t end there as things get interactive during a Q&A session with Sasfin group CIO and 2023 CIO IT Project of the Year Award recipient Josh Souchon, who will also share some of the lessons he has learned on cybersecurity.
After some networking and refreshments to lighten the mood, attendees will gather again to tackle the serious stuff for what has been themed Tips and Tricks: the great cybersecurity group brainstorm, to exchange ideas on best practices and how they can be prepared in the event of an attack. The brainstorming session will be closely followed by a debrief to unpack some other high level points and suggestions.
As most CIOs have emphasised in past at CIO South Africa engagements, “The consequences, such as the loss of personal data or it being used as leverage for monetary gain by hackers are far too great if people don’t take cybersecurity seriously.”
