KBKAST

In this episode, we sit down with Kelly Sabo, Head of SMB and Mid Market ANZ at Cisco, as she discusses cybersecurity essentials for small and medium businesses (SMBs). Kelly delves into the misconceptions SMB owners have about their vulnerability to cyber attacks, the alarming statistic that up to 60% of SMBs risk going out of business within 6 months post-attack, and the critical need for a comprehensive approach that goes beyond IT. We also explore how SMBs can tackle these challenges with limited resources, the benefits of outsourcing cybersecurity to experts, and the role of AI in automating security tasks to enhance protection. Additionally, Kelly emphasizes practical steps SMBs can take, like implementing multi-factor authentication and conducting risk assessments, to bolster their security without incurring enterprise-level costs.

Kelly Sabo, Leader – Small & Medium Business and Commercial Mid-Market, Cisco Australia & New Zealand

With over a decade of experience in the technology sector, Kelly is dedicated to empowering small and medium businesses (SMBs) and commercial mid-market enterprises to thrive in today’s digital backdrop. As the leader for SMB and mid-market sized customers at Cisco ANZ, Kelly is deeply committed to leveraging Cisco’s cutting-edge technologies to drive growth, efficiency, and competitiveness for businesses of all sizes.

Kelly‘s expertise lies in understanding the unique challenges and opportunities faced by SMBs and mid-market enterprises, particularly in an environment where the adoption of cloud and software as a service solution has reshaped the industry landscape. She is passionate about helping organisations harness the power of cloud managed networking, security, and collaboration to meet the demands of the modern business world. 

Kelly’s experience covers multiple technology companies including Oracle, NetApp and now Cisco,  from sales leadership, managing partners, distributors, account management and sales operations.

Since joining Cisco in 2015, Kelly has held various leadership, channel, and sales roles, gaining valuable insights into the dynamic nature of the technology ecosystem. Her extensive knowledge of the channel space provides her with a unique perspective in helping partners adapt and evolve in a rapidly changing environment.

As a leader in the industry who can distil complexity and boil it down to clear actions, Kelly is frequently sought after to share her insights and expertise at industry events and conferences. 

“The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of KPMG Australia”.

In this episode, we sit down with Ana Forsyth, Associate Director from KPMG, as she discusses the fragmented state of Australia’s education system in relation to cyber education. Ana highlights the significant gaps between schools, vocational training, and higher education, stressing the need for cohesive national strategies and government accountability.

Ana also covers the critical role of teachers in cybersecurity education, the necessity of early cyber safety awareness, and the challenges parents face in navigating their children’s digital lives. She shares her views on current parenting trends in relation to children’s access to technology and the imperative for systemic educational reforms to build a resilient cybersecurity workforce in Australia.

For the past eight years, Ana has been a cyber professional consulting to Federal Government and Defence clients. Ana previously worked in event sales and hospitality management for almost a decade, but took the leap into cyber security and never looked back, successfully transferring her leadership and stakeholder engagement skills.

Ana completed a PhD in cyber security strategy, entitled ‘Educational pathways to national cyber resilience: the Australian story’ (ANU, 2020); the thesis focused on growing Australia’s future cyber workforce by enhancing its pipeline. She argued for strengthened higher and vocational cyber security education, but also for the need to drive more interest in STEM in primary/secondary school, bringing along not just the students, but also their teachers and carers. The research highlighted the need for support from government, academia and industry, seamlessly integrated at every level.

Ana also holds a Master of Arts in Strategy and Security (UNSW at ADFA, 2012), a Master of International Affairs (ANU, 2011), and a Bachelor of Business Administration and Hospitality Management (Northwood University and Hotel Institute Montreux, Switzerland, 2009). She grew up in the Middle East, and did most of her schooling in the French system.

[NB: if Ana could study forever, she would.]

Passionate about the human risk management facet of her industry, Ana is a firm believer in not only growing Australia’s future cyber workforce, but also uplifting the level of cyber skills across the board for the nation’s generations to come. She is dedicated to sparking conversation and raising awareness of the fact that future Australia needs support from us today to be the best that they can tomorrow – and as secure as possible.

“The views reflected in this podcast are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms.”

In this episode, we sit down with John Hare, Associate Partner, Cyber Security from EY as he discusses the latest EY research on what those organisations that achieve the best security outcomes (“Secure Creators”) do differently to their less secure peers (“Prone Enterprises”).

We also explore how Secure Creators are responding to the recent surge in AI and GenAI use – both in the cyber function (AI for Cyber) and throughout the enterprise (Cyber for AI). John provides insights into how AI presents an opportunity for astute cyber teams to cement themselves as the true enablers of technology transformation, rather than “the department of no”.

John has 25 years of professional experience, spanning cybersecurity, diplomacy and law. John began his career as an M&A lawyer in London and Tokyo, before serving as a British diplomat for 9 years. John has spent the last decade working on cybersecurity, as a consultant, inside a major bank, and as a regional executive for a technology company.

John advises Australia’s leading financial services organisations on their cybersecurity strategies, adopting global better practice, and making cybersecurity a value creation driver.

Articles:

Cybersecurity an AI accelerator across the business | EY – Global

Listen to Decrypting The Future episodes here.

In this episode, we sit down with Skeeve Stevens, Director of Future Crime Agency, as he discusses the increasing desensitization to data breaches and the critical need for proactive government action in cybersecurity. Skeeve dives into the consequences of frequent cyber incidents, the potential for more advanced AI-powered attacks, and the urgent requirement for systemic changes to better manage personal data. We explore the inadequacies of current cybersecurity legislation, the challenges in educating the public about cyber risks, and the looming dangers posed by AI and home automation vulnerabilities. Skeeve also highlights the dire need for improved cybersecurity awareness and education to keep pace with technological advancements.

Skeeve Stevens is a leading authority in Australia and the APAC region on the Weaponisation of Technology. He specialises in identifying the risks and threats posed by emerging technologies and navigating the ever-evolving landscape of future technology-driven crime.

Future Crime transcends traditional concepts of cybercrime, representing a vast, complex, and rapidly expanding threat landscape with global reach and immediate, far-reaching consequences.

Skeeve provides expert advice to a diverse range of professionals, including government officials, politicians, legal advisors, lawyers, judges, law enforcement agencies, defence forces, the security sector, and businesses alike. His expertise has earned him hundreds of media appearances as a subject-matter expert, featuring on television, radio, newspapers, and podcasts across the globe.

Skeeve is, above all, a visionary Futurist, accomplished entrepreneur, highly sought-after keynote speaker, and renowned technology architect. As a trusted advisor to C-Level executives, he delivers exceptional insights across a broad spectrum of cutting-edge domains, including Future Crime, Artificial Intelligence, Futurism, Internet Architecture and Critical Infrastructure, the Internet of Things, and Automation. His expertise also spans Micro and Personal Robotics, as well as the sociology and psychology of human interaction with emerging technologies, offering a comprehensive perspective on how these innovations will shape society and our future.

 Skeeve is the author of the Threat Matrix, a restricted publication where he discusses potential risks using current, near Future, and emerging technologies and methodologies.

Skeeve is the founder of the Future Crime Agency (FCA) which specialises in the weaponisation of advanced and emerging technology and creating awareness for Law Enforcement, Military, First Responders, Private Security, and enterprises who work within those sectors.

Skeeve guest lectures on Cybersecurity, Technology Crime, Technology Terrorism, Infrastructure Protection, 1st Principal Thinking and Inversion Thinking at multiple academic institutions in departments such as Computer Science, Political Science, Psychology, National Security, and International Studies.

Skeeve is a former Director of the Internet Society of Australia and former chair of APNIC (Internet Governance) Policy Committee.  He has also represented Australia in Internet Governance issues and policy across the world.

In this episode, we sit down with Yuri Miloslavsky, CEO of Sharepass, as he discusses the risks associated with digital footprints in information sharing. Yuri delves into the importance of awareness about the vulnerabilities introduced by our online activities and the challenges of balancing security with user convenience. We explore the cybersecurity industry’s need to simplify security processes like multi-factor authentication (MFA) to enhance user adoption, and the pivotal role of education in improving security practices. Yuri also addresses corporate privacy policies, the trade-off between convenience and security, and the necessity for tighter compliance and regulation to ensure transparent data management.

Yuri Miloslavsky is an IT professional and entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in the industry. As the co-founder and CEO of SharePass, a cutting-edge digital footprint management and privacy protection platform, Yuri is at the forefront of developing secure solutions for the modern digital communication landscape. His expertise extends to building and running a successful Managed Service Provider (MSP) specializing in IT consulting and cloud services.

In this episode, we sit down with Mary D’Angelo, Cyber Threat Intelligence Solutions Lead from Filigran, to explore cyber threat intelligence. Mary dives into the challenges of decision-making fatigue and discusses the essential role of integrating threat intelligence across organizational silos. She emphasizes the importance of a top-down cultural shift, advocating to demonstrate threat intelligence’s ROI to C-level executives. Highlighting real-world examples, such as the LockBit ransomware attacks on US hospitals, Mary reinforces the urgent need to democratize and streamline intelligence sharing. She also discusses the potential of AI in improving threat intelligence processes while noting the necessity for human oversight in decision-making.

Mary D’Angelo is a Dark Web Threat Advisor dedicated to empowering organizations with the knowledge and tools needed to effectively combat cyber threats. With a strong focus on threat intelligence, Mary guides businesses in leveraging advanced security strategies to thwart malicious actors.

Her commitment to raising awareness about cybersecurity risks is evident through her extensive work, including insightful interviews and thought-provoking blog posts aimed at educating the public.

Mary holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington. Actively engaged in the InfoSec community, Mary is a familiar face at industry events, contributing her expertise and staying abreast of emerging trends.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Mary is deeply invested in nurturing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. She dedicates time to mentoring university students, sharing invaluable insights and guiding them toward successful careers in the field.

Mary’s influence extends beyond traditional realms, as she actively participates in esteemed think tanks such as the Dagstuhl Seminar 2024 and the Tortora Bradya Institute. Through collaborative efforts with leading experts, Mary continues to shape the discourse and advance cybersecurity strategies on a global scale.

In this bonus episode, KB is joined by Pravjit Tiwana, NetApp’s Senior Vice President & General Manager, Cloud Storage Business Unit, Jeff Baxter, Vice President, Product Marketing, and Krish Vitaldevara, Senior Vice President, Shared Platform on the ground at NetApp Insight 2024. Together, they dive into the critical topics like cloud services, unifying customer data, and the future of intelligent data infrastructure.

The discussion delves into the importance of building strong relationships with hyperscalers, the impact of AI on enterprises, and the challenges of data governance. Join us as we explore strategies for integrating AI with data, addressing customer needs, and effectively managing data security and insights.

Pravjit Tiwana, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Cloud Storage Business Unit

Pravjit Tiwana is NetApp’s GM and SVP of Cloud Storage. In his role, Pravjit is responsible for continuing the acceleration of our market leading first-party services in all three public clouds.

Pravjit brings over 25 years of experience to the role, many of those in the cloud space. Most recently, he served as the CEO of Gemini APAC, leading a 1000 person team across engineering, product, program management, sales and Business Development functions. Prior to that, he held a variety of general manager roles at Amazon/AWS, leading the Productivity Applications business and then their Edge & Network Services business. Pravjit lives in Bellevue, Washington with his wife and two teenage daughters (and his best friend, golden doodle Nemo). He is an avid golfer and marathon runner (when it isn’t raining in Seattle).

Jeff Baxter, Vice President, Product Marketing

Jeff Baxter is Vice President, Product Marketing at NetApp. In this role, Jeff leads the team responsible for core product & solutions marketing at NetApp. Previously, Jeff has held a variety of technical and strategy roles at NetApp, including serving Sr. Director of Product Management for ONTAP, Chief Evangelist for ONTAP, and Field Chief Technology Officer for the Americas at NetApp. Before joining NetApp, Jeff worked as an Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton advising multiple government clients and performing numerous in-depth storage assessments. Prior to Booz Allen, Jeff was Manager of Enterprise Systems at George Washington University, where he led a team of 15+ storage and systems administrators. He had responsibility for enterprise systems including collaboration and virtualization environments, as well as a complex storage system spanning multiple Data Centers. Jeff holds an MBA and BA from George Washington University. He is a NetApp Certified Data Management Administrator (NCDA). He has also has held VCP, SNIA, PMP, ITIL, and CISSP certifications.

Krish Vitaldevara, Senior Vice President, Shared Platform

Krish Vitaldevara is a passionate product leader and engineer with demonstrated success at building compelling multiyear strategies for large platform and product teams and delivering significant impact for large enterprises and billions of consumers. Krish is the SVP for Shared Platform at NetApp, responsible for unified storage platform, manageability platform, Customer eXperience Office (CXO), and Chief Design Office (CDO). His team enables delivery of various NetApp offerings across On-Premise, Hybrid Cloud, and Data Services. Prior to joining NetApp, Krish spent six+ years at Google in multiple roles, including leading product for Android and Plays Trust and Safety and Product for Google Maps. Krish joined Google after a long stint at Microsoft where he led product teams for O365 Foundations, Outlook.com, and Microsoft Consumer Trust and Safety teams. Early in his career, Krish worked at startups such as LoudCloud, started by Ben Horowitz and Marc Andreesen, and Brience, which enabled enterprises to customize customer experiences on mobile. Krish is also a proven innovator and hacker with more than 30 patents, primarily in distributed systems and spam-detection models, using graphs and networks for anomaly detection.

In this bonus episode, KB is joined by Haiyan Song, NetApp’s EVP & GM, CloudOps and Sandeep Singh, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Enterprise Storage on the ground at NetApp Insight 2024. Together, they dive into the critical topics of data management, cloud operations, and cybersecurity. This conversation explores the groundbreaking shifts in technology and strategy at NetApp, focusing on the integration of intelligent services in data infrastructure, the critical role of enterprise storage, and the future of AI.

Tune in to discover how NetApp is not only redefining the cloud operating model but also tackling the crucial challenges of data security and ransomware protection.

Haiyan Song, EVP & GM, CloudOps – NetApp

Haiyan Song is an experienced cloud, security, engineering, and database-management leader, with a track record of successfully integrating acquisitions and scaling them by connecting with and leveraging larger company ecosystem capabilities to accelerate success. Haiyan has held several leadership roles throughout her career tenure, including Splunk, HPE and Arcsight, all of which represent richly diverse technical experience. While her achievements are vast, one of the most notable during her time at Splunk includes her leadership in building and scaling a transformative business area that resulted in an increase in revenue of more than 15x over a seven-year period. Not only does she have a wide breadth of technical skills, but she has also worked in management roles within smaller companies, large-scale enterprises, and acquired businesses, and is experienced in change-readiness and organisational transformation.

Sandeep Singh, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Enterprise Storage – NetApp

Sandeep Singh is a driven, passionate, creative business leader with a proven track record of leading business and product strategy, building innovative products, managing high-performance organisations, and delivering business results at startups and Fortune 500 technology companies. Prior to joining NetApp, Sandeep spent four years at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) in multiple roles, including Vice President of Product Management for Data Infrastructure, Vice President of Marketing for HPE Storage, and CMO for Zerto, an HPE company. Sandeep joined HPE from Pure Storage, where he led product marketing for FlashArray, and helped the company scale from pre-IPO $100M run rate to a public company with greater than $1B in revenue. Prior to Pure, Sandeep led product management and strategy for 3PAR, an enterprise storage company, from pre-revenue to greater than $1B in revenue, including four-year tenure at HP post-3PAR acquisition. Sandeep resides in the Bay Area with his wife, two daughters, and their family dog. He has completed several marathons and ultra-marathons, including a 50-mile race, and his family has backpacked more 75 miles of the John Muir Trail.

In this bonus episode, KB is joined by Ashish Dhawan, NetApp’s Senior Vice President/General Manager & Chief Revenue Officer, Cloud Business Unit and Gagan Gulati, General Manager, Data Services, on the ground at NetApp Insight 2024. Together, they dive into the critical topics shaping the future of data and AI.

Join us as we explore the accelerating drive towards enterprise cloud adoption with Ashish and discover the obstacles enterprises face and the strategies necessary for successful cloud integration.

Later in the episode, we shift focus to data protection and governance with Gagan as we discuss the crucial role of understanding and safeguarding your data in today’s digital landscape.

Ashish Dhawan, SVP/GM and Chief Revenue Officer, Cloud Business Unit

Ashish Dhawan is NetApp’s Senior Vice President of Global Cloud Sales. Ashish Dhawan is a highly respected leader in the technology industry, currently serving as the Managing Director for Global Enterprise Workloads at Amazon Web Services (AWS). With a career spanning over two decades, he has been the architect of several successful businesses across the world.

Driving Enterprise Cloud Adoption at AWS:

Early Career and Industry Expertise:

A Visionary Leader and Motivator:

Gagan Gulati, General Manager, Data Services – NetApp

Gagan’s team focuses on building best-in-class data protection and governance products for NetApp enterprise and cloud storage. This portfolio includes backup, disaster recovery, ransomware protection, data classification and governance and CVO. Prior to NetApp, Gagan was Chief Product Officer at Behavox, a security and compliance company where he helped guide the vision, strategy, and roadmap for their product portfolio. Prior to that, Gagan was at Microsoft for 16 years. He was partner and director for PM for Data Protection and Governance products, where he took multiple products—including Azure RMS, Azure Information Protection, Microsoft Information Protection, and Azure Purview— from incubation to their incredible growth, usage, and success.

In this bonus episode, KB is on the go at Oracle CloudWorld in Las Vegas to find more about Oracle’s latest cloud technology, AI advancements, and innovative strategies. She sits down with Oracle executives Stephen Bovis, Stephanie Trunzo, and Pradeep Vincent as they explore Oracle’s shift from product-focused origins to a service-oriented approach, the vital role of AI in industry applications, and their efforts to bridge the gap between technological advancements and customer engagement.

Stephen Bovis, Regional Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand, Oracle

Stephen Bovis is responsible for Oracle’s overall business in Australia and New Zealand and ensuring it delivers on its values of trust, customer success, innovation, and equality for its customers, partners, and communities across the region.

Stephen has more than 30 years of experience in the IT industry across a wide range of roles, functions, and marketing segments. Most recently, he was at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where he was vice president and managing director of the South Pacific region.

Prior to that, he was based in Singapore leading HP’s Enterprise Group sales account management team for Asia Pacific, whose portfolio included hardware, services, and software.

Stephanie Trunzo, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Oracle Industries

Expanding upon the success of launching Oracle Health as a complete portfolio that spans Oracle’s applications and infrastructure, Stephanie leads an industry-informed approach to Applied AI, Industry Clouds, and One Oracle model. In addition to Health and Life Sciences, Stephanie’s team drives Go To Market strategies for Financial Services, Retail, Hospitality, Restaurants/F&B, Energy & Water, Communications, Engineering & Construction, and Public Safety. Stephanie’s scope spans an $8B business with over 50k employees, including multiple acquisitions and organic growth.

Oracle’s Global Industries organisation solves some of industries’ toughest challenges with innovative yet practical applications built as best-practice examples of Oracle’s technology stack. By partnering with our clients, and hiring industry experts, we are building the most flexible and robust industry clouds in the market.

Pradeep Vincent, Senior Vice President & Chief Technical Architect, OCI, Oracle

Pradeep Vincent is the Chief Technical Architect and Senior Vice President at Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). He is a technology and software architect with more than 20 years of experience in tech companies such as Oracle, AWS, and IBM. He has a deep understanding of Cloud Infrastructure, Compute, Storage and Networking. Pradeep has been with Oracle for more than eight years leading a team of architects and software engineers building Oracle’s Public Cloud. He also leads OCI’s Architecture and Engineering Community initiatives.