TCS+

In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, Jaydev Chiba engages in a comprehensive discussion with Marcell Otto, digital services product manager for Ricoh South Africa, shedding light on Ricoh’s pivotal role in today’s digital ecosystems, particularly in the realm of governance, risk and compliance (GRC).

The conversation delves into the dynamic landscape of global and local cybersecurity challenges, drawing attention to recent incidents such as cybersecurity breaches, which exemplify the pervasive and evolving nature of cyber threats.

The dialogue unfolds with an exploration of the multifaceted consequences of cybercrime, ranging from substantial financial losses to irreparable reputational damage and intricate compliance issues. Otto underscores the intricate challenges organisations encounter in fortifying their defences against cyber threats. A focus on the aftermath of cyberattacks reveals the protracted timelines and considerable costs associated with recovery, offering a sobering perspective on the stakes involved.

Otto then delves into the significance of compliance with frameworks such as King 4, emphasising the responsibility organisations bear in managing and safeguarding customer data. The discussion briefly touches upon Ricoh’s digital services pillars, positioning the company as a forward-looking provider tailored for the demands of the future workplace.

Ricoh's six digital services pillars play a crucial role in shaping its strategic approach to the evolving digital landscape. These pillars include:

1. Digital workspace: Focused on the transformation of the future workplace.

2. Business process management: Streamlining and enhancing organizational processes.

3. Digital experience: Providing enriched and seamless digital experiences.

4. Graphic communications: Addressing the evolving needs of graphic and visual communication.

5. Cybersecurity: Offering robust solutions to safeguard against cyber threats.

6. Cloud and infrastructure services: Providing essential services to support cloud infrastructure.

A spotlight is then cast on Ricoh's cybersecurity product, RansomCare, a groundbreaking solution designed to proactively mitigate the impact of ransomware threats in real time. Otto elaborates its distinctive approach, which focuses on the swift detection and interruption of malicious encryption, showcasing its efficacy in preventing cybersecurity incidents.

As the conversation concludes, Otto extends a call to action for organisations to seek expert guidance in navigating the intricate terrain of cybersecurity. He underscores the significance of proactive measures and collaborative efforts, framing the imperative to secure digital ecosystems as a collective responsibility for the betterment of society. In essence, the discussion provides a comprehensive and insightful exploration of Ricoh’s strategic positioning in the digital landscape, its commitment to cybersecurity, and the broader implications for businesses operating in an increasingly complex and interconnected environment.

Companies may be surprised to learn that the profile of the typical cybercriminal in 2023 does not match the stereotype of tech-savvy youngsters in hoodies.

Rather, modern cybercriminals are often employed by criminal syndicates and even keep office hours, according to Armand Kruger, head of cybersecurity at NEC XON, who has gone toe to toe – or is that keyboard to keyboard? – with cyber adversaries.

In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+ technology show, Kruger discusses:

• NEC XON and its portfolio of solutions;

• The company’s experience in dealing with security breaches and other cyber incidents;

• How cybercriminals operate and why, including the tactics they use;

• How this type of activity has become embedded in organised crime;

• What businesses can do to protect themselves against ransomware attacks;

• How companies should react when they have identified a possible breach;

• What security solutions are instrumental to disrupting these adversaries; and

• What more the IT industry and the government could be doing to help stop the ransomware scourge.

Don’t miss an important and fascinating discussion.

A robust security operations centre (SOC) that is well run and equipped with the latest technologies and expertise can help bolster the security posture of any organisation.

CYBER1 executives Simon Perry and Gerald Naude tell TechCentral’s TCS+ technology show about the investment and what it means for businesses.

Perry, who is chief technology officer at CYBER1, kicks off the discussion with a definition of an SOC, what they do and why they are increasingly important in the business landscape.

Naude, who heads the SOC, then talks about why the SOC-as-a-service model is gaining traction.

Topics covered in the interview include:

· What customers are looking for in an SOC;

· Why SOCs should go beyond detection and response and into the realm of consultancy;

· The scale of CYBER1 SOC, what it offers clients and what sets it apart from other SOCs;

· How CYBER1 SOC stays current with its security knowledge – an imperative in responding to constantly evolving and emerging threats;

· How the SOC will serve customers not only in South Africa but around the world;

· The challenge of finding the right skills to staff an SOC;

· The compliance issues associated with operating an SOC;

· Why CYBER1 SOC went through the effort of ensuring it is ISO 270001 compliant and what is involved; and

· CYBER1’s white-labelled SOC solutions.

CYBER1 SOC offers ongoing monitoring of advanced threats across endpoints, networks, cloud environments and applications. Its services detect emerging, evolving and established threats through the latest threat intelligence and hunting. The SOC offers nimble detection and proactive response, delivering state-of-the-art automation and continuous business improvement.

Visit c1soc.com for more and don’t miss a great conversation on the latest in the world of information security management.

In this episode of TCS+, TechCentral speaks to Jason Oehley and Andre den Hond, both with Arctic Wolf, to unpack the security posture of businesses in South Africa, and to learn more about what Arctic Wolf has to offer.

Over the course of his career, Oehley has worked at many tech companies, including Splunk, Dell and F5, and for over a year now has been overseeing the Arctic Wolf business in South Africa. Den Hond is Arctic Wolf's sales engineer and joined around the same time.

Arctic Wolf is a global security business founded in the US more than 12 years ago. Over the last three years, it has expanded its presence across Europe, the Middle East and Africa – including South Africa.

South Africa’s security challenges are not unique, but local businesses do face challenges around skills and budget that expose them to a lot of risk.

Arctic Wolf has a unique set of security-focused offerings that essentially plug into an organisation’s existing security tools and investments, augmenting their capabilities by providing 24/7 SOC (security operations centre) services to manage, detect and respond to threats in the business environment.

For smaller organisations that don’t have the budget or staff to run a security team, Arctic Wolf can provide that as a service.

In the discussion, Oehley shares his thoughts on why South Africa is among the top five countries globally targeted by cybercriminals. The attacks the country’s faces are highly sophisticated; standard tools are inadequate when it comes to defending against evolving threats and attack vectors. In fact, he says some 80% of South African companies don’t even have a security team in place.

The conversation turns to cyber insurance, and here it’s interesting to note that South African insurance companies are more advanced when it comes to what they require for a customer to be covered, compared to insurers in other countries.

This means local businesses must deploy a more comprehensive stack of tools to get the insurance coverage they need, and Arctic Wolf can assist businesses with this. Having the capabilities to defend from attacks is still better than depending on insurance alone, and the more enhanced a company’s security capabilities, the lower the premiums they will enjoy.

Arctic Wolf is a channel-only business and relies on partner relationships to get its services to market. However, services are delivered directly to the end customer, with the partner involved to assist in improving the customer’s (and the partner’s) security posture.

The success of the platform has largely been because of its model, where bills are issued per device and not based on data received. By not limiting the data that is allowed to be monitored, Arctic Wolf is able to scrape far more data and assess many more threats.

This is all tied together by Arctic Wolf’s Concierge Security Team, or CST. This service gives every client access to two named resources whose role is to work strategically with clients to build out and manage their security road map and engage in activities that help to constantly improve their security posture.

Perhaps the most powerful part of the offering is that Arctic Wolf plugs into every layer of an organisation’s security. This provides a total overview of the organisation’s security, 24/7, and the CST works with this data to ensure every security hole is plugged.

Oehley and Den Hood discuss how even with all these capabilities, it’s still possible for a customer to be breached, and part of the service includes incident response that is geared to helping the customer manage the aftermath, mitigate what they can, and assist the business with the implementation of recovery plans.

There’s plenty more in this important discussion – don’t miss it!

Fast-expanding Nasdaq-listed enterprise cloud software specialist Workday has big plans for its South African unit.

In this episode of TCS+, Workday South Africa MD Kiv Moodley tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about Workday, its history and its areas of focus, and how the company works with clients, including those in South Africa.

In the first of a series of six TCS+ interviews with Workday under the theme “change makers”, Moodley discusses:

• His background, and what brought him to the Workday role;

• Workday’s history – the company was co-founded by David Duffield, the entrepreneur behind software pioneer PeopleSoft;

• How Workday got its start in South Africa and what its client profile looks like today, including the industries it focuses on – and why it won’t go after public sector business;

• The value Workday offers its clients and how it differs from other enterprise software vendors;

• The future of Workday in South Africa; and

• South Africa’s leadership challenges and how to turn them around.

Don’t miss an informative discussion!

Secure access service edge, or SASE – pronounced “sassy”, this emerging network security concept, first described four years ago by Gartner, has huge benefits for organisations, provided it’s done right.

To discuss what SASE is and how South African organisations can take advantage of it, TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod is joined on the TCS+ technology show by leading experts on the topic from Dimension Data and Palo Alto Networks.

Dimension Data’s Padma Naidoo, head of the company’s security practice, is joined by her colleague, Laudec McCarthy, a senior security solutions architect at Dimension Data in the Middle East Africa, as well as Ross Templeton, a system engineering manager at Palo Alto Networks in sub-Saharan Africa.

The three experts tackle a range of topics around SASE, including:

• The relationship between Dimension Data (soon to be NTT Data) and Palo Alto Networks.

• What SASE is exactly, and why organisations should be taking it seriously.

• The concept of zero-trust security and the role it plays in the SASE model.

• What is involved in deploying SASE technology – what companies should expect on the journey.

• The complexities and challenges involved in a SASE deployment.

• Dimension Data’s solutions in the SASE space.

• Palo Alto’s Prisma solution – what it is and how companies can use it.

• How companies should go about evaluating the SASE options available to them. And what should they be considering when selecting a managed network services partner?

There’s a ton of valuable information in this episode of TCS+. If you organisation is considering a SASE project, or even you are simply curious about what can be achieved using the SASE model, don’t miss this discussion!

In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, Fortinet’s Matthew Taljaard, subject matter expert in operational technology (OT) for Africa at Fortinet, demystifies OT, explaining what it is, how it differs from IT, the industries it powers, and much more.

Watch or listen to the interview below.

The distinction between OT and IT is often blurry, leading to confusion. OT is the unsung hero of many industries and plays a crucial role in enhancing efficiency, safety and reliability. So, what is OT, and how does it differ from IT?

OT encompasses the hardware and software systems responsible for monitoring and controlling physical processes and industrial operations. In essence, OT manages the “things” in the internet of things (IoT). Conversely, IT focuses on processing, storing and transmitting data, predominantly utilising computers, networks and software for decision-making and business processes.

While both IT and OT share similarities such as network connectivity and data exchange, their objectives and priorities diverge. IT prioritises data integrity, confidentiality and availability, while OT emphasises reliability, availability and safety of industrial processes.

The primary goals of OT include:

• Improving operational efficiency through automation, real-time adjustments and equipment health monitoring.

• Enhancing safety by controlling processes to prevent accidents and respond to emergencies.

• Increasing reliability with systems designed for harsh industrial environments.

• Enabling predictive maintenance using sensors and data analytics to anticipate equipment failures.

• Ensuring product or service quality by controlling production parameters to meet predefined standards.

OT drives various industries, including manufacturing, energy, utilities, transportation and healthcare, ensuring efficient and safe operations. For instance, in manufacturing, OT automates production lines to optimise productivity and quality, while in healthcare, it oversees medical equipment and ensures the reliability of medical procedures.

The OT field offers diverse job roles, each requiring specialised skills. OT engineers design, implement and maintain control systems and automation solutions. OT technicians troubleshoot and maintain systems. Cybersecurity specialists protect critical infrastructure from cyber threats. Data analysts gather and analyse data for efficiency and predictive maintenance. Control systems architects design the overall architecture of OT systems to meet specific industrial requirements, offering exciting opportunities for those with the right skills and passion for innovation.

The convergence of IT and OT brings about numerous benefits but also introduces new challenges, particularly in cybersecurity. A report found that 75% of OT organisations experienced at least one intrusion in the last year. A successful cyberattack on OT can result in production disruptions, safety hazards, environmental damage and economic losses. Therefore, ensuring the security of OT systems is crucial not only for business operations but also for public safety and national interests.

Robust cybersecurity measures include network segmentation, regular updates, access controls, monitoring, employee training and incident response plans. Here are some practical tips for OT security:

• Implement asset inventory and segmentation and employ micro segmentation and virtual patching solutions.

• Collaborate across IT, OT and production teams to assess cyber and production risks and inform the chief information security officer.

• Develop a vendor and OT cybersecurity platform strategy, considering a wide portfolio of solutions.

• Incorporate cybersecurity awareness education and training for all computer and mobile device users.

For more, visit https://techcentral.co.za/.

MiWay has deployed advanced “conversation analytics” technology in its contact centre environment to improve the performance of customer-facing agents.

In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+ show, the insurer, which worked closely with CallMiner – a specialist in speech and interaction analytics – unpacks what the technology has done for its business operations.

MiWay head of business process innovation Huzair Essop, Miway lead integration analyst Asif Mahomed-Hoosen and CallMiner vice president of international operations Frank Sherlock unpack the deployment in detail on the show – watch or listen to it below.

Sherlock kicks off the conversation with a discussion about how technologies like conversation analytics software tools can help organisations like MiWay lift their game.

Huzair then chats about how MiWay is using conversation analytics to develop its workforce and improve the performance of its customer agents. He also explains how MiWay is measuring the return on investment around the implementation, and what the company has been able to do with the technology that it couldn’t do before.

Other topics tackled in the discussion include:

• The complexity involved in managing disparate communication channels – whether it’s the phone, e-mail, social media, live chat or other platforms – and how companies can manage this flood of disparate interactions and make sense of it all.

• Which channels MiWay analyses with CallMiner’s tools, and how analytics has allowed the company to understand different customer journeys.

• Overcoming data silos inside organisations and how technology can help.

• Ensuring the appropriate information reaches the right people inside an organisation, and ensuring the correct course of action is taken.

• The role of artificial intelligence in conversation analytics.

Don’t miss the conversation!

Imagine truly unlimited phone calls and texts to any local network and a large allocation of monthly mobile data for just R299/month.

That’s what MTN South Africa unveiled last month when it launched SuperFlex, a mobile tariff plan that allows consumers to choose how much data they want, coupled with unlimited minutes and SMSes and a six-month free trial to the mobile version of Disney+.

The new plans start at R299 for 10GB of anytime data. The plans on offer, all providing unlimited phone calls and SMSes, are:

• 10GB: R299

• 15GB: R399

• 20GB: R479

MTN described SuperFlex as a “mobile plan that offers customers simplicity, customisation and flexibility” without paperwork, contact lock-in or credit checks.

Now MTN South Africa GM for the consumer segment Bertus van der Vyver shares the inside story about the launch of SuperFlex with TechCentral’s TCS+ technology show.

Van der Vyver tells TCS+ about:

• The SuperFlex offering and the market research that informed its launch;

• Why it’s an online-only product and how consumers can sign up for it;

• The level of personalisation on offer to consumers;

• The pricing strategy behind SuperFlex;

• How MTN built the product, and the work that went into building a robust backend solution to support it;

• The security measures in place to protect consumers; and

• What consumers can expect from SuperFlex in future.

Don’t miss the discussion!

In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+ technology show, Jaydev Chiba speaks to the chief technology officer of LSD Open Julian Gericke and senior solutions architect at Red Hat Chris Mulder about the concept of platform engineering and internal developer platforms (IDPs) and their pivotal role in modern software development.

IDPs are an evolving approach aimed at streamlining and enhancing the efficiency of software development processes within organisations.

The discussion covers:

An overview of internal developer platforms (IDPs)

The conversation begins by introducing the notion of internal developer platforms (IDPs). These platforms are designed to simplify and optimise various aspects of software development, from infrastructure management to deployment and beyond. IDPs act as a unified framework that empowers developers to focus on coding and delivering value without being burdened by the complexities of underlying infrastructure.

Focus on customer value

The overarching theme emphasises the importance of aligning software development efforts with customer needs. It underlines that the primary goal of any development process should be to deliver value to customers. This aligns with the agile philosophy of prioritising customer-centricity and iterative development.

Metrics and measurement

The interview highlights the significance of metrics and measurement in software development. It stresses the importance of setting clear metrics to assess the success of development efforts. These metrics allow organisations to track their progress, identify areas for improvement, and ensure that development initiatives are meeting customer expectations.

Transitioning to the cloud

The discussion then shifts towards cloud adoption strategies. It outlines scenarios that organisations might encounter during their journey to the cloud, catering to varying levels of cloud adoption maturity. These scenarios provide insights for CIOs, software development leaders and decision-makers as they navigate cloud migration.

A ‘hybrid first’ approach

One of the core concepts presented in the interview is the “hybrid first” approach. This approach recognises that organisations often operate in hybrid environments, combining on-premises and cloud resources. It emphasises the need to meet customers where they are, regardless of their cloud status. The goal is to abstract implementation details to ensure seamless transitions between different deployment models.

Security by design

Security emerges as a critical concern in the discussion. The TCS+ interview underscores the importance of incorporating security into the development process from the outset. A proactive “security by design” approach helps mitigate vulnerabilities and protect software against potential threats. The discussion acknowledges recent high-profile security incidents and the imperative to enhance security practices.

Open-source software and licensing

The interview touches upon the complexities of open-source software adoption and licensing. It emphasises the need for organisations to have a clear understanding of the licences associated with open-source components. The discussion acknowledges the value of open source software while highlighting the need for businesses to navigate the intricacies of licensing.

Participation in open-source communities

An essential aspect of open-source software adoption is active participation in open-source communities. The discussion encourages organisations not only to consume open-source software but also contribute to these communities. Collaboration and knowledge-sharing within these communities can lead to better software quality and mutual benefits.

For more, visit techcentral.co.za...