African ICT solutions provider NEC XON has appointed Armand Kruger as its new head of cyber security.
In his new position, Kruger will oversee the execution of the company’s cyber security strategy, provide executive advisory and oversee the security of staff members, customers and stakeholders.
He takes over from Kevin Smith, who has left the company to pursue personal ventures.
Kruger previously worked as head of cyber operations and adversarial threat-hunting for NEC XON, after having worked as its lead security architect for over two years.
Before joining NEC XON, Kruger worked at Vodacom as a threat-hunter, focusing on cyber threat simulations and attack scenarios.
In 2018, XON and NEC came together to form NEC XON, the combination of XON, a systems integrator providing custom ICT and security services and solutions in Southern Africa, and NEC Africa, the African business of global technology giant NEC Corporation.
The Gauteng-headquartered company services all provinces in SA and 16 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. It provides smart solutions, such as renewable energy, safety and security products, to companies operating in the energy, telecommunications, enterprise, retail, financial, mining, telecommunications and pharmaceutical sectors.
Jason Barr, NEC XON executive of safety solutions, notes Kruger brings deep cyber security nous to the new role.
“His core focus has been on tactical incident response and threat-hunting, and we are delighted to promote Armand into this key position, given the excellent reputation he has built with us over the years,” says Barr.
According to cyber security experts, SA has seen a noticeable increase in the number of threat campaigns unleashed by threat actor groups over the past three years, with government being the most targeted sector, followed by education and banking.
NEC XON says Kruger has dealt with major cyber security incidents, including digital hands-on keyword battles with ransomware operations.
Kruger believes incident response can be complex, and business coordination is key, but the unspoken rule that leaders tend to forget in stressful security situations is to remain composed and systematically find the source of the threat.
“The contemporary demand for connecting numerous individuals in far-flung locations through inter-connected systems, data sources and storage presents a complex and extremely demanding cyber security landscape. This landscape comes with various competing requirements, like accessibility and availability versus privacy and protection.
“Hackers frequently take advantage of the vulnerabilities that arise due to the intricacies of managing and maintaining these diverse environments.”
Kruger notes cyber security strategy stands on three legs: strategic, operational and tactical. He emphasises harnessing a "hacker mind-set" to help customers become cyber-resilient.
“The biggest cyber security risks facing companies today are embedded in the rise of the cyber economy, with digital cartels driving cyber risk. It’s important to be proactive to maintain threat resistance.
“Constant cyber security housekeeping is vital to stay up to date and eliminate most threats, while intensive research into emerging threat tradecraft keeps the more serious threat actors at bay.”
Kruger sees artificial intelligence and machine learning playing a major role in the future of cyber security, especially around automated security operations.
“Cyber security skills will always be essential; however, AI has the potential to augment cyber capabilities if used correctly.”
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