Conrad Traynor is an Account Manager at Nemstar. An IT industry veteran with 40 years’ experience, Conrad brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise when it comes to building successful partnerships with clients.
When it comes to people, Conrad who currently lives in Newtownards, is a fan of the “old school” approach, meeting face to face where possible and really getting to know Nemstar customers.
Starting his career selling the Sinclair Spectrum 48K, Conrad and his colleagues "wowed" clients with their pitch. He explains: "To show how robust the machine was, we drop kicked it across the room, plugged it in and tada! It still worked, without fail. They don’t make them like that anymore!"
We asked Conrad to share some insights into his role and the challenges faced by businesses today. Here’s what he had to say.
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What are the key aspects of your role as Account Manager?
Working with medium to large businesses, I am the main point of contact for our clients. My job is to make sure we are meeting their requirements and maintain a close working relationship so we can respond quickly and efficiently as changes arise.
What are the biggest challenges businesses face when it comes to cyber and information security?
Budget constraints are a common challenge, with departments struggling to get an adequate budget to meet cyber security excellence. At board level, cyber security is often confused with IT services, resulting in the burden of cyber security sitting with the wrong people.
In the 2023 Ipsos report into Cyber Security Skills in the UK Labour Market, 84 per cent of people carrying out a cyber role in the private sector have absorbed the responsibility in a non cyber role. These would typically be operations, marketing or broader IT roles. When an incident occurs, businesses in this position just don’t have the necessary skills to deal with it in-house.
Where do you think the responsibility lies for cyber security in an organisation?
Cyber security is a company wide responsibility, but ultimately the governance lies at board/management level. Many organisations don’t have good governance in place or in some cases, there is no governance at all for cyber security. Knowing who is responsible and what is expected of them is crucial. Trying to figure that out after something has happened is too late.
How can Nemstar help organisations who need help with cyber security governance and strategy?
We are well placed to help organisations implement policies, procedures and training on their journey to cyber security excellence, having worked with companies and government bodies across the globe.
First we would conduct a gap analysis to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the business in relation to cyber security. This allows us to make recommendations for policies and procedures that need to be put in place.
Next, we carry out a training needs analysis to make sure there are appropriately trained personnel within the business structure to meet the requirements and carry out a bespoke training programme.
We know how important it is to get that work-life balance, so what do you do to unwind after work?
I am a huge motorsports fan- F1, touring cars, world rally, I watch it all. My other big passion is music and am currently enjoying listening to The Fontaines DC - check them out if you’ve never heard them! Back in the day, I played drums in a few punk bands and still like to play but only for my own amusement. I was once referred to as the worst drummer in Newry, so I knew I wouldn’t be giving up the day job!
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