iscover
Share this article on:
Powered by
MOMENTUM
MEDIA
Australian-owned cyber security firm ParaFlare has appointed a former chief of the ADF’s Information Warfare Division as strategic adviser.
The former head of the Australian Defence Force’s Information Warfare Division joined Australian based cyber security firm ParaFlare as a strategic adviser on Wednesday.
Major General (Ret'd) Marcus Thompson AM, PhD, served in the Australian Defence Force for 34 years and oversaw the ADF’s offensive and defensive cyber security capabilities in his role as head of the Information Warfare Division.
Having joined the team at ParaFlare, Thompson said he hopes his appointment will bolster Australia’s cyber security capabilities.
“I’m passionate about what ParaFlare does, as I strongly believe active cyber defence is a critical a vital function in the protection of businesses and critical infrastructure,” he said.
“This is a specialist discipline within cyber security, and I’ve seen only a handful of providers in Australia with the credentials to deliver.”
Adam McCarthy, CEO of ParaFlare, said, “In his previous role as the inaugural head of Information Warfare, Marcus led the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) cyber capability. Since leaving the military he has remained passionate about active cyber defence.”
A growth industry
IT research and advisory firm Gartner currently predicts that 40 per cent of boards will have dedicated cyber security oversight committees by 2025.
“Having a dedicated focus on cybersecurity is crucial, not only to protect the organisation but to win tenders,” McCarthy noted.
“Many organisations don’t currently meet the standards required to work with the government, particularly the Department of Defence.”
The Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018 has determined that an increasing number of organisations are being considered as ‘critical’ and are subject to more robust cyber security requirements.
[Related: Oracle selected to provide sovereign cloud services]
Liam Garman is the editor of leading Australian security and defence publications Cyber Daily and Defence Connect.
Liam began his career as a speech writer at New South Wales Parliament before working for world leading campaigns and research agencies in Sydney and Auckland. Throughout his career, Liam has managed and executed a range of international media and communications campaigns spanning politics, business, industrial relations and infrastructure. He’s since shifted his attention to researching and writing extensively on geopolitics and defence, specifically in North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Sydney and a Masters of Strategy and Security from UNSW Canberra, with a thesis on postmodernism and disinformation operations.
Be the first to hear the latest developments in the cyber industry.
