In the seventh episode of Sekuro Talkshow, Sekuro Chief Growth Officer (CGO) Shamane Tan was joined by Sekuro Field Chief Technology Officer (Field CTO) Jason Trampevski to share about the roles of a Field CTO and Technologies & Platform Engineering (TPE) team, and the common challenges faced by his team.
Unpacking the role of a Field CTO
As the Field CTO of Sekuro, Jason sums up his day to day responsibilities in one word: “enrichment”. He unpacked what his role entails from two different standpoints – to the technical crowd, and to the business crowd.
Speaking to the technical crowd, Jason would describe his work primarily as research, which entails keeping a regular lookout for new trends in the technology industry. This ensures that Sekuro continues to keep up with the pace of change and innovation, and is able to constantly provide new benefits to the customers whom they work with.
On the other hand, if he were to be speaking to a business crowd, Jason would describe his role as a Field CTO as having close ties with the technology strategy and roadmap at Sekuro, specifically in working closely with their customers to develop their technology roadmaps and strategies. This is an effort made to ensure that Sekuro makes the correct technology investments to support their customers’ needs.
What are the responsibilities of a TPE team?
When asked by Shamane to explain TPE and what his team is involved in, Jason responded that each day for the team is never the same. With the number of companies and customers that they work with growing and evolving, they could be doing any of these on any given day:
- providing technical guidance to customers,
- designing and architecting a specific solution to address a problem,
- looking at ways to integrate multiple solutions from different vendors,
- running an enablement session for our customers,
- training Sekuro’s internal teams on their solutions and services, and
- writing a proposal and preparing for presentations.
“So we get to explore a large range of solutions and services,” Jason shares. “And we’re lucky enough to work with and talk to some amazing companies on a regular basis.”
What are Some Common Misconceptions?
Having interacted with many different customers across diverse sectors, Jason addressed the common misconceptions he had frequently encountered in his work as Field CTO at Sekuro.
Misconception #1: Compliance Equals Security
Compliance does not equal security. In tackling this misconception, Jason reiterated the point that security is a process and not a checklist. Hence, organisations must take a holistic approach to security, people processes, and technology. While compliance is a part of that process, it is but one of the many components of security.
Additionally, a strong security program requires not only the implementation of effective policies and procedures, but also the continual improvement of these policies and procedures through constant monitoring.
Misconception #2: Approaching Every Project With Cloud-First Strategy
Another common misconception that Jason addressed is the propensity for organisations to always use cloud solutions by default. When organisations adopt cloud-first strategy, it is highly likely they may end up using cloud solutions which do not really meet their business objectives, leading to suboptimal results.
When it comes to designing and building cloud based systems, Jason advised organisations to take a cloud-right approach instead. What this means is that organisations should carefully consider the specific needs and requirements of their project before deciding whether to use or not to use cloud-based solutions. They should first take the time to assess the requirements of each project, before deciding on the appropriate path to take.
Conclusion
To conclude the discussion, Shamane inquired about Jason’s thoughts on techscenarios where organisations are not able to fully leverage the technology they have purchased. Jason agreed that it is a common problem and challenge faced by many businesses.
He observed that organisations typically either do not have the skills to fully utilise their technology solutions, or that they are simply not aware of what their solutions are capable of. In order for organisations to maximise their investments and use their resources to their full potential, Jason suggested the following actions for organisations to take:
- Allocate an adequate amount of time to learn about the full capabilities and functions of their solutions,
- Understand the skill levels of their staff and how their various skills can be applied to suit specific business needs, and
- Stay up to date on the latest industry trends and developments with consistent industry research.
By performing these tasks diligently, organisations can rest assured that their technology solutions are keeping up with change and the latest advancements in technology – hence being fully utilised to advance business goals in the most efficient way possible.
About Sekuro’s Technologies Platform and Engineering (TPE)
Modern business is digital business, and digital business has to be secure business. We help you take advantage of the latest enabling technologies and architectures – securely. Find out how you can harness the power of technology securely with Sekuro.
Jason Trampevski
Field Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Sekuro
With over a decade of project experience, Jason, Field CTO at Sekuro, has honed his skills as a strategic technology leader, helping organisations achieve their broader objectives through the effective use of technology. Whether it's building resilience or driving business success, he understands the critical role that the right capabilities play in achieving these outcomes. As a specialist in translating complex business requirements into technology solutions, Jason focuses on the critical elements of people, processes, and technology. By reducing complexity and ensuring these elements work together seamlessly, he helps organisations stay agile and competitive in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Shamane Tan
Chief Growth Officer, Sekuro
Shamane Tan is one of the most established women in the fields of technology and cyber security. As the Chief Growth Officer at Privasec and Sekuro, she is responsible for leading the security outreach strategy with the C-Suite and executives. Recognised by IFSEC as one of the global top 20 cybersecurity influencers, the ‘Cyber Risk Leaders’ author was also recently listed in the 40 under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians and Top 30 Women in Security ASEAN Region 2021. A TEDx speaker and podcaster, Shamane is also the Founder of Cyber Risk Meetup, an international community and platform for cyber risk executives to exchange learnings.
More Articles
In conversation with Nathan Wenzler, Chief Security Strategist at Tenable (Part 2)
In conversation with Nathan Wenzler, Chief Security Strategist at Tenable (Part 1)
