MARISE ALPHONSO
KEY THEMES FROM 2022 TAKING US FORWARD by Marise Alphonso, Information Security Professional KEY THEMES FROM 2022 TAKING US FORWARD
met. The appointment of a woman as minister for
You may have heard that the only constant in the
working in, or aspiring to work in, the information
information security industry is change. 2022 ushered
security sector.
cybersecurity is an encouraging sign to other women
in some major changes and trends in the Australian and global landscape that can be leveraged to
AustCyber’s Sector Competitiveness Plan 2020
improve cyber maturity and create a safer cyber
highlights five key industries becoming increasingly
environment for individuals and organisations.
digitised, and hence with growing cybersecurity requirements. Key components of this digitisation
THE APPROACH TO CYBERSECURITY AT A NATIONAL LEVEL
are the shift to online infrastructure, the increase
The Albanese government sworn in earlier this year
IoT and smart devices, remote access to operations
sent a strong signal to the information security
technology (OT) and the expansion of AI and quantum
community by appointing Clare O’Neil as Minister
computing.
in digital payments and fintech, the proliferation of
for Cyber Security. With a dedicated minister for cybersecurity, Australians can be optimistic about
It is projected that future cybersecurity products and
Australia becoming a cyber-resilient nation with a
services will be required to focus on these five areas
trusted and secure digital economy. Cybersecurity
in response to the increased attack surfaces they will
has certainly been given the prominence and visibility
create and the expanded regulatory requirements that
to help achieve this. The needs for greater diversity
will be imposed on various sectors of the economy.
and inclusion and a larger cyber workforce are
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topics much discussed. Government, industry and
In discussions about digital trust and in the
academia must pull together if these needs are to be
announcement of a planned review of Australia’s
W O M E N I N S E C U R I T Y M A G A Z I N E
N O V E M B E R • D E C E M B E R 2022