Cyber risk and the exponential growth of AI are foremost on the minds of security professionals today as the emerging technology continues to permeate digital interaction and broaden the threat landscape.
Speaking at the BCX-sponsored CISO & chief security professionals executive dinner, on 27 May, in Cape Town, a precursor to the 20th annual ITWeb Security Summit 2025 in Cape Town today, Garith Peck, managing executive: cyber security at BCX, said today, zero trust and AI are chief concerns.
“AI has evolved exponentially and has spilled over into other areas of technology. Threat actors are more advanced and AI, married to cyber security, has reached an inflection point,” said Peck.
He added that as a leading systems integrator, BCX is positioned to guide its market to tap into AI as a force multiplier in business.
“There are so many connected systems and, from an AI perspective, risk is amplified. Businesses need to partner with best-of-breed cyber security vendors,” he said.
BCX wants to help develop the ecosystem and use AI responsibly and with purpose, Peck continued. He urged delegates to develop their understanding of what AI is doing and what its arrival means for operations going forward.
Innovate at pace and scale
Siobhan Gorman, partner at global advisory firm Brunswick Group, said AI continues to empower both defenders and attackers.
The technology underpins the evolution of the cyber threat landscape, enabling business leaders and adversaries with the ability to innovate at a quicker pace and at scale.
Gorman said there is geopolitical uncertainty globally and this suits the bad actors’ agenda.
“Geopolitical instability and uncertainty means more companies and countries are distracted, their defences are down. This affects national co-operation around security,” Gorman added.
The reality is that AI models can be used for visibility and for threat hunting, said Gorman. “Consider social engineering; AI can grow threats at scale.”
It is important for business leaders to understand they now operate in an environment that is more chaotic and unpredictable, and they have to prepare accordingly.
Businesses are urged to take proactive steps to ensure best possible defences, including simulation exercises, training and awareness at all levels of their operations.
Delegates at the executive dinner were reminded that human interaction with systems remains a serious problem.
Martin Koyabe, senior manager and technology lead at the Global Forum of Cyber Expertise (GFCE) Africa, said cyber security is a continuum, and it is borderless.
Another key takeaway from the dinner was that while business leaders lean towards a free ecosystem with fewer guardrails and less red tape, there has to be a balance.
Visibility across the organisation, an all-encompassing cyber security strategy, budget and resource allocation are considered fundamentals.
Peck emphasised BCX's role in supporting its market to extract the benefit of AI and understand how to use this emerging technology to strengthen operations.
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