Dipo Olowookere
Leading provider in Digital Transformation, Phillips Consulting, hosted the highly anticipated CIO Breakfast Meeting at the Eko Hotel and Suites.
This edition of the CIO Breakfast Meeting centred upon the emerging trends and opportunities at the intersection of digital transformation and cyber security.
Speakers of the day were Dr Bala Fakandu (Deputy Director, ONSA), Mr Felix Nwoshu (Principal Service Delivery Manager, Microsoft), Mr Daniel Adeyemo (Digital Advisor, Microsoft), Mr Jason Ikegwu (Associate Partner, PCL).
Opening the event, Rob Taiwo (MD pcl.) welcomed attendees with a rousing address. Citing the American poet Gil Scott-Heron, he urged organisations to take notice of the ways digital technology is revolutionizing industries, or they could be left behind.
Daniel Adeyemo (Digital Advisor at Microsoft), gave a short lecture on Digital Transformation and the Nigerian Ecosystem, corroborated Mr Taiwo’s presentiment.
“Quite a number of organisations in the West African sub-region have begun to pursue significant digital transformation projects in both the public and private sectors, thereby, giving them a leg up in the race for superior results,” he said.
Dr Bala Fakandu (Deputy Director in the Office of the National Security Adviser. ONSA), speaking on Cyber Securities in Nigeria: A Regulatory Perspective, presented a rare glimpse into the regulatory perspective of cyber security in Nigeria, had painted a matter-of-fact picture of the government’s current cyber security posture, which was enlightening, he revealed that “cyber-crime act provides the agency the rights for incidence management at the Nigerian Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT).”
He also added that the “ONSA has the authority to develop, coordinate and implement cyber securities of all stakeholders in Nigeria.”
Speaker, Felix Nwoshu, presented the grim reality of the global cyber threat. He highlighted that 75% of people in an organisation are likely to click on a phishing link and that each cyber-attack costs an average of $4million. “A cyber risk, is currently the only risk to which an entire organisation can be lost.”
During the panel discussion towards the end of the event, the panelists were in agreement on the need for more concerted efforts at collaboration between government and the private sector to drive digital adoption and its cyber security component.
Pcl also used this opportunity to announce a strategic partnership with Microsoft, Speaking on the partnership with Microsoft, PCL MD Robert Taiwo said, “Through its Digital Technology Consulting practice, PCL possesses deep industry and business expertise. Coupled with Microsoft’s market leading technology, in the areas of Cloud Computing, Cyber Security and Data Analytics, we can jointly provide our customers with a set of business aligned technology solutions that are perfectly in sync with a Digital 4.0 economy”.
Associate Partner Digital and Technology, PCL, Jason Ikegwu, added “This partnership will allow us drive digital transformation and, ultimately, growth, in ambitious, forward-looking organisations.”
Closing the event, Ikegwu said “For a maiden event, turnout was great and that’s exciting for us because it signals genuine interest in these conversations and the direction in which they lead”.
Phillips Consulting’s CIO Breakfast Meeting is a cross-industry event for innovative digital and business leaders who aim to identify and exploit opportunities to drive organisational performance.
