Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 95 | Page 62

INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Mobile Technology

In2IT , Gauteng Dept of e-Government , Huawei hosts CIO roundtable on cybersecurity

Technology services company In2IT Technologies recently hosted a CIO roundtable discussion in partnership with the Gauteng Department of e-Government and Huawei , that provided a high-level overview of the latest trends , risks , and vulnerabilities in cybersecurity , specifically related to the public sector . Themed Unpacking Cybersecurity in the New Age of Digital Transformation , the forum attracted several industry leaders , government representatives , and officials from state-owned entities .

These delegates shared various insights into how digital transformation is changing the cyber risk landscape and explored the role of government policies and partnerships in driving sustainability .
“ Digitisation has become an integral part of everyone ’ s life , and the digital world is ruling every aspect of our lives . In fact , digitisation has transformed how governments interact with citizens , tackle crises , and grow the economy ,” said In2IT Technologies CEO , Selva Ganesh .
“ With widespread digitisation across different parts of the environment , there is a huge data and infrastructure layer . This infrastructure has been profoundly growing , including cloud computing and data centre technologies .”
He explained that these infrastructures are complemented by new-age technologies like Robotic Process Automation , Artificial Intelligence , and Machine Learning . While these disruptive technologies bring a lot of opportunities , they also come with significant challenges .
“ The more digital you are , the more vulnerable you are . With these vulnerabilities , we as an ecosystem – both public and private – have
Selva Ganesh , CEO In2IT Technologies
to tackle our common enemy , which is cyber threats and cybercrime ,” said Ganesh .
Delivering a keynote address , Gauteng e-Government MEC Bonginkosi Dlamini described the event as a powerful platform to share ideas , foster partnerships , and explore the future of technology in the province in terms of cybersecurity .
“ Cybersecurity is no longer just a nice-tohave but a critical function for governance , trust , and service delivery . Government leaders and stakeholders have a shared responsibility to protect the information and systems essential to the well-being of citizens and the nation ’ s ICT infrastructure ,” he said .
Dlamini noted that according to the World Economic Forum , cybercrime has grown to
Bonginkosi Dlamini , MEC Gauteng e-Government
such an extent that it can now be described as the world ’ s largest state economy , after the US and China .
“ Cybercrime is projected to cost the world $ 10.5 trillion annually by 2025 , exceeding the profits of other major global crimes like drug trafficking , counterfeiting , and human trafficking ,” he added . “ As the Department of e-Government , our task of ensuring cybersecurity is critical . We need to take urgent measures to secure data across the province as we provide data centre services to all departments in the Gauteng province .”
The event concluded with panel discussions that delved into topics such as an overview of data privacy regulations and compliance standards , challenges unique to the public sector , and best practices for managing cybersecurity risk in the public sector . p
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