When it comes to data breaches, it’s no longer a case of “if”, but “when” and “how often”. Adversaries are increasingly cunning and sophisticated, and always on the lookout for chinks in the security armour. Their aim? Getting their hands on data — a company’s most valuable asset.

Unfortunately, it’s not only vulnerabilities that are letting them in; sometimes the weakest link in your security chain is sitting down the hall from you.

To unpack how South African businesses are dealing with data storage security, TechCentral hosted a roundtable conversation sponsored by Altron Systems Integration with some of the country’s leading executives across a range of industries at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton. Attendees delved into the tools, procedures and best practices that are available to protect their data as well as establish a culture of data security across the board. In addition, Altron Systems Integration touched on the results of a recent security survey it conducted.

They all agreed that technology is evolving rapidly, and threats are doing the same. The suggestion around the room was for security practitioners to continuously re-evaluate the threat landscape, consult with industry peers, share information, and focus security spending where it is needed the most. This includes stepping up and making the board and other stakeholders aware of how data security has become a strategic imperative and business enabler, and that it needs to form part of the entire organisational governance and capability framework.

No company is safe

In addition, delegates discussed how South African organisations are becoming increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks, with a slew of breaches targeting some of the country’s top businesses and public sector entities, including Experian, TransUnion, the department of justice and Dischem. This spurred an interesting conversation between the insurance, financial and mobile network operators who participated in the discussion. Their take is that it is everyone’s responsibility to stay ahead of the ever-mounting threats to cybersecurity and that there is no one-size-fits-all approach and no “silver bullet” solution.

Altron Systems Integration said it believes that digital transformation and future-fit engagements with a network of security experts would go a long way towards helping everyone to brainstorm ideas and come up with robust security solutions.

Cloud vs hybrid

Most delegates said their organisations are running hybrid environments made up of on-premises legacy systems as well as cloud technologies, which is a necessary evil at this stage. It also results in more complex threat analysis and higher operating costs. The cloud-only crowd and those who are harnessing the benefits of blockchain were somewhat more confident in their outlook on the frequency and severity of data breaches. While that’s not to say that they are impervious to cyber threats, they believe they are able to monitor internal and external risks more effectively.

The unknown variables and options available to any organisation often need to be demystified and clearly articulated. Similarly, the ever-growing list of acronyms was also highlighted as a barrier to security advancements, cloud migration and trust in technology services.

Unpacking the results of the survey gave rise to many conversations about how artificial intelligence and machine learning would ultimately be the primary guide to operationalise suitable measures to manage and protect an organisation’s data.

The results of the survey also emphasised how vast the topic can become and how there is no obvious checklist or solution to cover all eventualities.

Building a security culture

In ending, all participants at the roundtable agreed that good data security is about mindset, approach and knowledge, and that these will inform our behaviour. This, in turn, leads to better business outcomes and a more responsible corporate culture. One suggestion was to encourage employers and employees alike to take an active role in protecting their data by making security everyone’s responsibility and driving a security culture from the top down and the bottom up.

TechCentral, in partnership with Altron Systems Integration, would like to thank all of those who participated in the roundtable discussion and encourage all of our readers to be mindful of the fact that “data protection must become part of the business” and not a function of technology.

Look out for more exciting roundtable discussions happening soon. We look forward to your contributions to the conversation.

About Altron Systems Integration
Altron Systems Integration is a specialist provider, leveraging world-class technology and leading practices to architect, implement and support sustainable ICT-based business solutions which are strategically aligned, fit for purpose, cost effective and optimised for performance. The breadth of our solutions spans all industries, and the depth of our knowledge is why you would want to partner with us. To learn more, visit Altron Systems Integration or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.