"The ICT industry is a fluid and evolving industry, and faces threats everyday. These threats have the potential to harm big and small organisations if not monitored and managed.
"Managing information security and protection is probably one of the single most complex areas in the ICT environment," Harry Chakhala, CEO of Computek, said at the launch of Computek`s office in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
Chakhala said this status quo in the ICT industry calls for more qualified experts who can scientifically develop solutions to counter continuous threats.
According to Prof Manoj Maharaj, Head of School: Information Systems and Technology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the ICT industry has a shortage of qualified IT security specialists, and this is linked to the lack of information protection and control.
"Information is only valuable if it can be used, and such valuable information needs to be tracked and protected," Prof Maharaj said. "In the UK the recent loss of 25 million personal records could have been avoided had there been proper information security protocols in place. Such disasters are often irreversible," Prof Maharaj said during the Computek office launch in KZN.
Chakhala emphasised the company`s commitment to collaboration with tertiary institutions to increase the number of ICT specialists focusing on research on information assurance and protection. "South African companies and the public sector can only benefit from an increased level of ICT specialists focusing on the scientific research within the industry. This knowledge in turn can benefit many clients, particularly in the public sector," he said.
Computek has offered a R50 000 bursary each year for a period of two years, for a deserving doctorate student who is to focus on research in information security in the public sector in collaboration with SITA. The bursary will be effective as of January 2008.
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