Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 12 | Page 48

FEATURE: 2019: THE CIO’S PRIORITIES ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// potentially devastating attacks from affecting them. The first step is to find and understand what their security flaws are with a vulnerability testing programme – understand where the weaknesses are and support these areas, rather than spending money on unnecessary security infrastructures before knowing where the holes in the defence really lie. Stephen Moore, Chief Security Strategist at Exabeam to be the most helpful in pin-pointing cyberthreats. Plus, 75% agreed that advances in Machine Learning and AI can “It’s not only the technology that needs to be supported, but also the staff. Regardless of how many layers of protection security experts implement, the weakest link is the people involved. Managing this portion is essential in any cybersecurity strategy, so it’s important to ensure that employees are fully up to date with the latest security protocols and processes in their company to help combat the ever-increasing tide of cyberattacks. This is a key part of cybersecurity and even more so because the UNDERSTAND WHERE THE WEAKNESSES ARE AND SUPPORT THESE AREAS, RATHER THAN SPENDING MONEY ON UNNECESSARY SECURITY INFRASTRUCTURES BEFORE KNOWING WHERE THE HOLES IN THE DEFENCE REALLY LIE. make their jobs even easier – with adoption increasing each year. “We hope consumers and businesses continue to educate themselves, cybersecurity professionals can take stock and be proud of their work, and those interested in the field begin to take the steps needed to enter and excel in it.” human element is the hardest to control and measure effectively.” However, cybersecurity expertise cannot just be confined to one team – increasingly, vulnerabilities should be everyone’s concern. CIOs should be looking to invest in the right training to address this, as John Williams, Product Manager at Node4, noted: “It is vital for businesses to recognise how to strengthen their security to help prevent In many ways, this training needs to go back to basics, with CIOs helping their employees work out how to spot anything suspicious, as Jake Madders, Director of Hyve Managed Hosting, explained: “Many IT teams will be focusing on the latest technologies to help improve security and reduce the risk of a cyberattack. But 48 INTELLIGENTCIO Jake Madders, Director of Hyve Managed Hosting www.intelligentcio.com