With cybersecurity an essential topic of discussion in the media industry, ABU Technology has held a two-day Virtual Forum on Cybersecurity & Media.

The forum discussed the latest tools, technologies and best practices to mitigate these risks in the media industry. Experts from IRIB-Iran and Skyline Communications in Germany and a senior broadcast engineer in Australia shared recommendations to safeguard broadcasters’ networks from potential attacks.

Imad Nasereddin, Network Admin and Analyst at IRIB-Iran, spoke on cybersecurity concerns in the broadcast industry and possible solutions. He said that to overcome the challenges of broadcast and media security concerns, the standard IT processes and architectures must be properly adapted and deployed to meet the specific requirements of broadcast applications and operations.

Representing Skyline Communications, Thomas Gunkel spoke on ‘Digital Transformation in the media business – evolving towards an agile-driven operation’. He said that to succeed and operate securely in a data-driven future, the combination of cultural philosophies, practices and tools were essential.

The second day of the forum dealt with cybersecurity in everyday life. John Maizels, a broadcast expert and trainer from Australia, cited some of the reasons for these attacks and discussed case studies of recent cyber-attacks on media organisations. He recommended that broadcasters have in place regular mitigation strategies and have a solid Plan B for recovery.

Close to 250 participants representing 40 countries in Asia, Europe and Africa attended the forum.