Cybercrime threat means the good guys are hiring
Cybercrime has been given a new lease on life in the past two years as “ransomware” attacks on organisations as diverse as shipping lines and state hospitals have reaped massive dividends. The crooks have done us all a favour: they’ve highlighted the extent to which anyone can fall victim to hackers.
It was no surprise that the recent “State of Enterprise Security in SA 2019” study conducted by World Wide Worx with Trend Micro and VMware found that more than onethird of South African IT decision-makers were prepared for an attack if one came in the next 48 hours. Being prepared meant that most attacks would fail. However, almost half the respondents said they would not know they had been compromised until a few hours after a breach.
Between those investing heavily in their defences and those mopping up after data disasters, cybersecurity has become a massive industry. And it is about to grow exponentially.
“Both business and IT underestimate the threat,” warns Grant Bodley, CEO of Dimension Data MEA, a subsidiary of Japanese telecoms giant NTT. The company’s Middle East and Africa operation is the only one that has retained the original South African DiData branding, thanks to its strong positioning in the region. Now, it is preparing to launch a dedicated cybersecurity division.
“It’s about bringing together all the security assets we have across all our businesses,” says Bodley.
“The increased attacks and resulting heightened awareness are reinforcing the message to business and IT that they are not as mature as they should be.
“If there’s one thing that can shut down a business and an economy today it’s the cybersecurity threat. In the past, there were many physical assets that could be attacked. Today you often can’t even see the attack happening.”
Local offices of cybersecurity providers are expanding rapidly. Trend Micro doubled its staff complement in Sub-Saharan Africa last year. Softwaremaker Oracle and Amazon Web Services are on a hiring spree as they prepare for the cybersecurity demands that will go with the data centres they intend opening in SA next year.
DiData works with these providers, but has quickly woken up to the need for its own dedicated cybersecurity force.
“We have to make sure we are locally relevant,” says Bodley. “Skills are the key challenge; it’s about making sure [we] can attract and retain the best skills in this environment. The fact that we are part of a global organisation does play into our hands, as we can gain easy access to global experts in their fields, and offer local hires an international career path.”
Tony Walt, a veteran of DiData subsidiary Internet Solutions, is heading up the new security practice. His role includes overseeing further acquisitions and partnerships, signalling the aggressive expansion Bodley has in mind.
Says the CEO: “It is already a significant business, but one where we want to double down. We see it as the fastest-growing part of the business in terms of market opportunity.”
Cybersecurity has become a massive industry. And it is about to grow exponentially