My Brilliant Career: A career in tech? Embrace any start

What does your role as regional director involve?

I am responsible for the end-to-end ownership of the Check Point strategy, with a focus on extending our market share across the continent.

Check Point has thousands of customers throughout the continent. There has been a dramatic rise in cyber threats affecting the continent, which is among the most-targeted regions in the world in terms of cyberattacks. This means that customers need to be kept abreast of advanced AI-driven technologies as they become available and encouraged to work with us to address their cybersecurity position.

What can South African companies do to keep safe in the face of cyber threats?

It requires a multifaceted approach, including:

• Understanding your company's external risk profile: Continuously discover, monitor and protect your internet-facing assets. Monitor the deep and dark web for attacks targeting your organisation.
• Educate your staff: Phishing remains the number one entry point. Train staff and implement best-of-breed email and collaboration solutions. Consider incentivising and encouraging staff to identify potential breaches and security weaknesses.
• Gain full visibility: Unmonitored devices are high-risk devices. Map all assets, assign risk scores, and monitor and manage these accordingly.
• Adopt a prevention-first security: Move beyond detection. Employ threat prevention tools powered by AI to block attacks before they can be executed.
• Unify and consolidate security: A fragmented approach invites risk. Integrated platforms provide end-to-end protection across users, devices and data.

What do you think makes you good at what you do?

I have more than 20 years in the IT industry, having worked for several multinationals in various roles. I have also specialised in several areas, including infrastructure, networking, cloud, virtualisation, software and security. This gives me strategic insight into business and the technology required to keep companies secure from cyberattacks.

What do you look for when recruiting for Check Point?

Depending on the role, you would obviously look for people with a deep understanding of technology and business. However, soft skills and a strong EQ are also vital. We are all primarily the face of the business in Africa, and we need people who inspire confidence and understand how our technology can support and address our customers’ strategies.

What advice do you have for young people looking to pursue a career in tech?

Embrace any start in the tech world as it is so diverse, whether it is a coding or data, science learnership or a BSc in information technology. Then seek work experience. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty; lay cables if you must. Understand the relevance of soft skills and EQ in any role. Embrace lifelong learning.