Martin Chamberlain on Fuse’s Approach to Cybersecurity: Empowering Teams and Leveraging AI to Tackle Evolving Threats

Thank you for supporting our Cybersecurity Summit ~ Cyberfy, and to do this interview.

1. How did you first get involved with cyber security? Could you tell us about a project or experience that inspired you to get involved?

Cybersecurity has been part and parcel of our services since Fuse CS was established. Whether it was ensuring that end-points and servers were appropriately patched; anti-virus software was up to date and fit for purpose; or advising and implementing on robust password management policies.

We’re also big believers in being proactive in user awareness; including training sessions and phishing campaigns.

Nowadays, cybersecurity is a lot more sophisticated and proactive. We have dedicated teams monitoring many aspects of our customers IT estate, identifying anomalies. Furthermore, we utilize AI tools to profile user activity and report on irregular behaviour.

 2. What are the exciting projects you are currently working on?

There are a number of pending and planned projects that I can’t discuss in much detail, but the most exciting existing projects include expanding the capabilities and traction of our Security Operations Center and hardening the cyber defenses of our clients either by utilizing new tools and tech, educating end users or proactive threat hunting.

3. In your role as Managing Director at Fuse, where you deliver tailored cybersecurity solutions, what do you see as the most common security issues? IoT attacks? Cloud attacks? Insider attacks?

The threat landscape is ever evolving, and we will always be talking about new types of attacks which malicious actors have exploited. As soon as new technologies are released, they are targeted by such attacks. In the era of rapid AI development, the attacks themselves are more resilient to detection, and require a higher level of awareness to spot.

The first line of defense for any IT environment will be the end users. Training and awareness campaigns should be paramount to any cybersecurity strategy.

4. In an evolving threat landscape, which are the benefits of building an incident response strategy if standards or regulations do not require one’s company to implement one and why?

Even though having an incident response strategy may not be mandated by regulations, companies have so much to gain from building one. Building an incident response strategy is a proactive measure that not only mitigates risks and ensures operational continuity but also strengthens the organization’s security posture and builds customer trust. It prepares the organization for future regulatory changes and ensures efficient use of resources during incidents.

It’s always better to be proactive rather than reactive.

5. At the upcoming Cybersecurity Summit ~ Cyberfy, AI in cyber defense is a key topic. How do you see AI transforming the way we approach cybersecurity, and what role does Fuse play in integrating AI-driven solutions to enhance threat detection and response for your clients?

As AI advances, we are provided with a way to analyze data in a faster and more efficient way than we were ever able to do before. Combining this ability with modern machine learning capabilities, AI tools can review activity logs and make informed decisions much faster than a human would be able to.

At Fuse, we believe that such trusted and tested AI capabilities should be embraced and utilized to ensure that evolving threats are detected and dealt with in a timely manner, any time of day or night.

By doing so, this leaves more time for our cybersecurity and infrastructure experts to focus on other areas such as keeping up to date with evolving tech, user awareness training and designing of secure environments, giving better all-round protection and value to the customer.

6. On a more personal note, what advice would you give to young professionals who are pursuing their dreams in the cyber security field?

There are a lot of resources out there, a lot of which are either free of charge or at very low cost. There is always an interactive course, practice labs or training videos to help you understand cybersecurity concepts.

Once in a cybersecurity or IT position, it is vital to keep up to date with modern technology and threats around them. This will give you the edge should you need to be called to action.