Cyber security specialist Ty Miller who has trained the FBI, US Dept. of Defence delivers keynote address

‘Inside a Hacker’s Mind’ was the intriguing theme of an awareness programme conducted recently by Aion Cyber Security (Pvt) Ltd., a subsidiary of the Sierra Group.

Around 100 cyber security industry professionals who were intent on learning about the latest cyber threats, including how hackers target vulnerable networks, participated in this event at Sierra Tower where Aion has set up the company’s new Security Operations Centre.

The keynote address at this event was delivered by Ty Miller, the Director of the Sydney based Threat Intelligence Pty Ltd., who has provided specialist cyber security training to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Department of Defense, military and intelligence agencies, and large technology and security companies around the world.

The event was by invitation only and was attended by Chief Information Officers and Risk Officers from multiple industries as well as Aion staff. It was designed to introduce and create awareness about global best practices in cyber security. It also created the opportunity for cyber security enthusiasts to mingle with the experts in the subject and served as a platform to introduce Aion’s talent pool of young cyber security professionals to the industry.

Commenting on the event, Mr Abbi Pilapitiya, CEO of Aion Cyber Security said: “With the growing trend of companies increasingly digitising and relying on technology, cyber security is no longer an optional expense but a critical business enabling necessity. Awareness programmes such as this contribute towards enhancing the maturity of the industry and the quality of cyber security talent in the country. This is important because Sri Lanka is extremely well placed as a hub for providing cyber security consultancy and management services, given the abundance of young talent ready to be trained to address the global lack of competent professionals in this space. Aion Cyber will continue to invest in training and R&D on automated, AI driven operations and services. We are excited at the opportunities being presented to us and are tracking ahead of  the targets we have set for ourselves to build knowledge assets and certified talent for the industry in Sri Lanka and the APAC region.”

Sierra Group Chairman, Mr Priyantha Perera added: ‘Sierra has always sought to nurture local talent, be it in engineering, construction, or in this case, cyber security. Our vision is for Aion to be a key player in the region providing the cyber security expertise with Sri Lankan talent. We have already established offices in Singapore, Australia, and the Middle East to generate opportunities from these markets. We believe the exposure and awareness created through programmes such as this will forge opportunities for Sri Lankan youth and professionals in the cyber industry to serve in regional markets.”

The event also included informative breakout sessions to tackle topics such as ransomware, vulnerability management, Security Operations Centre (SOC) resourcing, and the basics of compliance. These were conducted by experts in the subjects.

The breakout sessions were followed by fireside chats headed by prominent Chief Technology Officers in telecommunications - Mr Pradeep Almeida and Mr Priyantha Fernandez who shared experiences about the challenges they faced due to cyber threats.

A subsidiary of Sierra Group, Aion Cyber Security was established in Sri Lanka just before the covid-19 pandemic with the mission to nurture Sri Lankan talent for the growing needs of the industry. The Company offers Artificial Intelligence (AI) based bespoke cyber security management services supported by an expert Sri Lankan team consisting of industry leading Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and consultants with more than 15 years of international expertise in cyber security, telecommunications, and information technology. Aion’s partners in the cyber security space include the Sierra Group, THREAT Intelligence Australia, and DELL Technologies.

Photo caption: (Up) Aion Cyber Security CEO Mr Abbi Pilapitiya introduces the keynote speaker Ty Miller and (right) a section of the audience at the event.