Financial services organisations are under pressure – from tough economic times to market changes, they have a lot to worry about. However, those concerns pale in comparison to concerns about cyber security, as when a bank or other financial services business makes the news because it fell victim to a data breach, the fallout in terms of regulatory fines and loss of reputation is staggering.

In fact, cyber attacks and data breaches in financial services organisations happen more frequently than in any other industry, with Boston Consulting Group’s research revealing that financial institutions are 300 times more vulnerable than other sectors.

With an increase in automated financial transactions and digital payments as a result of COVID-19, the threat from bad actors will only continue to rise, which is why financial services organisations cannot fall behind when it comes to protecting their systems and data from cyber attacks.

With this in mind, ITWeb's Security Summit, taking place from 25 to 28 August as a virtual event, will have a strong focus on cyber security in the financial services sector.

Several renowned individuals in this space will be presenting, including Emmerentia du Plooy, head of Information Risk Governance at Standard Bank, who will explain how to re-imagine the threat landscape to provide a business-relevant view on information risks; Robin Barnwell, head: Security Strategy Enablement at Standard Bank; and Sandro Bucchianeri, group CSO at ABSA, who will discuss how to address the security skills shortage in SA.

In addition, Gerhard Cronje, head: Cyber and Information Security Unit at the South African Reserve Bank, will explain how blockchain can be used to improve security, efficiency and trust; and Angela Henry, business information security officer at RMB, will reveal how to develop an effective incident management process.

Finally, Susan Potgieter, head: Strategic Services and acting CEO at SABRIC, will be participating in a panel discussion on how to encourage more local collaboration in threat intelligence.

This year's event is being held online, and a conference pass entitles delegates to access all presentations, workshops, panel discussions, breakout sessions and product demonstrations. In addition, delegates will be able to visit the virtual exhibition featuring approximately 30 booths.

Best of all, all sessions will be available on demand, so there’s no need to have to pick and choose sessions, as they can be watched at any time that’s convenient.