Digicel Business and Symptai Consulting last Friday presented a sobering picture to business leaders about making cybersecurity a top priority.

Speaking at a Cybersecurity Workshop at the Hyatt Ziva Hotel in Montego Bay, St James, general manager of Digicel Business Darragh Fitzgerald Selby explained the importance of investing in the most sophisticated data and information protection systems.

Fitzgerald Selby described company data as one of its most precious commodities, but which is often left vulnerable to cyberattacks that can cause compliance risks for affected firms.

He told the audience of CEOs and senior information technology managers, “Never before have we seen the threats so great and so deeply threatening to the viability of businesses of all sizes. This existential threat — disruptive by its very nature — is redefining the way we now rank cybersecurity as a fundamental expenditure item or a strategic imperative.”

With this in mind, Fitzgerald Selby reassured the group of more than 50 executives from small to large firms that they can trust the newly inked Digicel Business and Symptai Consulting partnership with delivering the most sophisticated detection and response systems.

In introducing Symptai to the wider business community, the company’s CEO, Marlon Cooper, also advised the decision-makers to examine their people, processes and technologies as part of a holistic cybersecurity strategy.

“With everything going digital, it widens the threat landscape for persons with malicious intent. Statistics show that 60 per cent of small businesses do not survive a cyberattack. This is why it is important for businesses to build cyber into their business continuity strategy,” warned Cooper.

Sympai’s director of cybersecurity Rory Ebanks, who stressed that 39 per cent of Caribbean firms have improperly configured controls, devices and systems that leave them vulnerable to cyberattacks, explained the strategy.

He demonstrated a systematic process that a company must undergo in order to create a prevention and recovery system that addresses potential threats. Alluding to the rising threat of ransomware as an example, Ebanks demonstrated how to plan for, detect, analyse, contain and recover from this digital hazard.

A keen and deeply involved participant, Zachary Harding, group CEO of Stocks and Securities, and executive chairman of Delta Capital Partners, found the workshop insightful.

“This event was exceptionally timely…packed full of information. We are always cognisant of the need to protect our clients’ information, and we continue to be vigilant in this regard. But, there’s definitely an opportunity to do more, so we will be engaging Digicel and Symptai to see how they can assist us to take this a step further,” said Harding.

The audience also heard from Bryan Kane, product manager for Digicel Business (Group), and Douglas Thomas, director and co-founder of Cybersecurity & SOC Services at HyperProtect.