EXPERT COLUMN

JESS ABELL, CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER,

INTELLIGENT GLOBAL MEDIA

A staple of the ICT sector’ s calendar, GITEX is billed as the world’ s largest tech event and, for those that have attended, it’ s not hard to see why there’ s such a buzz about the show.

From sprawling booths showcasing the innovations of telecommunications firms in the region, to cuttingedge technology on display in the government hall, the event is truly an opportunity to stand out.

More than technology

And while there’ s no denying the technology on show at GITEX is impressive, there’ s more to this event than the tools – and it’ s the reason I’ m looking forward to returning for the seventh time.

For our team, it’ s a chance to meet with our contacts in-person after many months of email communication, the opportunity to collaborate with clients and end-users, and celebrate digital achievements during our awards event. collaboration and unity that emerges – speakers from different industries sharing common challenges and objectives.

This year, we’ re hosting two roundtables – one focused on cybersecurity and a second on AI and leadership.

I’ ll be moderating the cybersecurity discussion and am thrilled to be joined by a brilliant panel of speakers to explore how organisations and governments can adapt their cybersecurity strategies to remain resilient, compliant and future-ready.

It’ s set to be a highlight of the week and I’ m looking forward to hearing takes on key topics like nationstate cyberthreats and political cyber-risk mitigation; agile infrastructure strategies in a post-Digital Transformation era; closing the region’ s cybersecurity talent gap through education and government collaboration; the impact of evolving regulatory frameworks on security investments and mitigation of widespread threats like ransomware and phishing through improved incident response.

Of course, October is also Cybersecurity Awareness Month, so what better time to fly the flag for cyber and better understand how regional leaders are approaching these issues.

One of the highlights is the roundtables that we host during the week, attended by senior IT decision-makers and designed to be a forum for knowledgesharing and learning from peers.

We’ ll also mark cybersecurity during our Intelligent ICT Awards event on October 15 through our security category, with both vendors and end-users set to be recognised across networking, cloud, software and training.

While there are of course some more technical elements of the discussion, the highlight is always the sense of

If you’ re at GITEX, drop me a message on LinkedIn or via email and let’ s collaborate – I’ d love to see you at the show. p

18 INTELLIGENTCIO APAC www. intelligentcio. com