Huawei to assist on cyber security

Isaac Pinielo | Monday March 23, 2015 14:51

Speaking last week at the Botswana Cyber Security and Internet Summit held in Gaborone, the company’s managing director, Gao Wenli said cyber security continues to be an issue of intense interest to governments, to customers and to vendors alike.

He noted that it is a focus of Huawei adding that cyber security assurance is one of company’s core strategies.

“We believe it is only by working together internationally, as vendors, customers and policy and law makers that we will make a substantial difference in addressing the global cyber security challenge,” he said.

Gao said governments and the private sector must share knowledge and understanding of what works and what does not work to reduce the risk of people using technology for purposes never intended.

He stated that during the past 20 years, there has been the blossoming of the commercial Internet, which planted the seed of an interconnected and global digital network that has made such things from email to telemedicine to browsing and social networks to online banking and retailing ubiquitous and affordable.

Having been operating in Botswana since 1998, Gao said Huawei views building and fully implementing an end-to-end global cyber security assurance system as a key corporate strategy and considers cyber security a shared global challenge.

“Global collaboration among customers, suppliers, and policy and law makers is crucial to meaningfully addressing global cyber security threats,” he said.

For his part, Minister of Transport and Communications, Tshenolo Mabeo said cyber security requires a concerted effort from all stakeholders to ensure a secure cyber space and future for the country’s technological infrastructure.

He also emphasised that government and industry must work together, sharing appropriate information as true partners, noting that all of us working together to do what none of us can achieve alone.

Abram Keetshabe, general counsel in the Office of the President said until as recently as April 2014, Botswana had no legislative framework to facilitate and enable the provision of e-services, which existed in the country.