PANEL DISCUSSION – PROTECTING INVESTMENT, OR HOW TO RECOGNISE TECHNOLOGY WHICH WILL SURVIVE
In practice, there is often a dilemma over which platform should be selected as the basis for key architecture elements and how such an investment can be protected. There are a host of examples from the past where certain technology seemed wonderful, but then found itself outside of the mainstream, thereby creating difficult situations for its users (OpenVMS, Novell, OS/2, Token Ring, etc.). How can this selection risk be minimalized, and on which criteria should such decisions be made? What should you do when you inherit a platform legacy?
KAMIL ČERMÁK
Kamil Čermák graduated from the University of Economics in Prague where he studied finance. He completed a Master of Business Communication degree at Erasmus University Rotterdam. In 1992–1994 he started his career as a reporter and presenter for the main news programmes (“21”, Events and Comments) on Czech Television. From 1994–1995 he was an advisor and spokesman to the Minister of Trade and Industry of the Czech Republic, Vladimír Dlouhý. From 1996 to 2004 he worked for Czech Telecom, the last three years being as corporate account executive director. After that he joined Czech Airlines as a sales and marketing director. In 2005, Kamil Čermák commenced his career with CEZ Group. He was appointed the first CEO of CEZ Polska in Warsaw, having it actively enter the Polish market. Later he worked for CEZ Prodej, s.r.o. as the executive manager and VIP account director. In the beginning of 2007, Kamil Čermák was appointed the director of CEZnet, a.s., in charge of transforming it into a CEZ Group daughter company. After it merged with CEZ Data in 2008, he became the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of CEZ ICT Services, a.s. established by the merger. Kamil Čermák is the President of the Czech Institute of Directors, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of ICT Union and a member of Supervisory Board of the Our Child Foundation.
MARTIN GILL
Professor Martin Gill is a criminologist and the Director of Perpetuity Research and Consultancy International, which started life as a spin out company from the University of Leicester. The company specialises in security management, risk management, crime and crime prevention. Martin has been actively involved in a range of studies relating to different aspects of business crime including, the causes of false burglar alarms, why fraudsters steal, the effectiveness of CCTV, the victims of identity fraud, how companies protect their brand image, and the generators of illicit markets and stolen goods, to name but a few. He has published widely (13 books and over 100 articles including ‘Managing Security’ and ‘CCTV’, published in 2003, and the ‘Handbook of Security’, published in 2006). Professor Gill is a Fellow of the Security Institute, a member of the Company of Security Professionals (and a Freeman of the City of London). He is Chair of the ASIS Research Council and an overseas representative on the ASIS International Academic Programs Committee. In 2002, the ASIS Security Foundation awarded him a ‘citation for distinguished service’ in ‘recognition of his significant contribution to the security profession’. In 2010, he was recognised by the BSIA with a special award for ‘outstanding service to the security sector’.
RUDOLF HAŇKA
Professor Rudolf Haňka was born in Prague and has worked at Cambridge University, where he founded the Centre for Clinical Informatics, since 1968. He is the author of numerous papers on Knowledge Management, with particular emphasis on clinical medicine. One of his research interests is the protection of data and its privacy in medicine. In 1998, he and a colleague founded WaxInfo Ltd, which is one of the leading developers of secure distributed content management software.
GAVIN MICHAEL
Gavin Michael is Accenture’s Chief Technology Innovation Officer. He drives the innovation and ecosystem agenda, including the company’s technology vision, the R&D agenda with technology alliances and the Accenture Technology Labs, and the alliances strategy and execution. Gavin also leads the Accenture Global CIO Council, a group of 200 of Accenture’s most important clients. He joined Accenture in April 2010 with more than 20 years of experience in technology leadership in the Financial Services Industry, and has significant experience in driving major business change. A published author, he holds a PhD in Computer Science from the Australian National University and a Bachelor of Science (with honors) from the University of Western Australia. Gavin currently resides with his wife and son in Los Altos Hills, California.
DANIEL ROUS
Daniel Rous is a high school and university graduate. Both institutions were focused on nuclear power. He gained his degree in heat and nuclear power producing machinery and equipment from the Engineering Faculty of the Technical University in Brno in 1992. After university, he spent a short time as a scientific and research worker at the training and education section of the Dukovany nuclear power plant. In early 1993, he was employed by the intelligence services of the CR, working for them for nearly 12 years in various positions at a regional and national level. At the end of 2004, he left to join the state power company, ČEZ, where he works in security and protection, and were he was a board member of ČEZnet. His current title is Director of the ČEZ Group Protection Department – Security Director. He is responsible for physical protection, the protection of critical infrastructure and information security, and in particular the security of confidential information, personal data and commercial secrets. Away from work, he spends his time with his family and enjoys fishing and shooting sports.
VLADIMÍR SMEJKAL
Vladimír Smejkal is a university professor and an expert on the legislation, risk management and security of information systems. He has been an expert witness in the fields of business, cybernetics, criminal science – data protection and copyright law for over 25 years. He has participated in the investigations of many serious crimes which have involved modern information technology and the internet. He is a member of university science boards, and the author or co-author of many books and articles on informatics, law, public administration and e-government, which include; “Computer Law”, “The Internet and Legal Paragraphs”, “Information and Telecommunications Systems’ Law”, “Risk Management”, “Managing Risk in Companies and Other Organisations”, “E-government Under Czech Law”, “Authorship in the Mass Media” and “Data Mailboxes Under Czech Legislation”. Prof. Smejkal has also been involved in formulating legislation in the CR (The Electronic Signatures and Data Mailbox Acts) and is a member of the Government Legislation Council. He is active at the Business and Management Faculty of Brno University of Technology, the Law Faculty of Masaryk University, Brno in addition to his expert witness work in Prague.
TOMÁŠ SOKOL
Tomáš Sokol graduated from the Faculty of Law at Charles University in Prague in 1978, obtaining his doctorate in 1980. After graduation he started work as an articled clerk in the 2nd Legal Advice Bureau in Prague. After passing his solicitors’ exams in 1980, he has practised as a lawyer continuously, except for a period from 1990 to 1992 when he was the public prosecutor for Prague (1990) and then the Minister of the Interior of the Czech Republic (1990–1992). In the second half of 1992, he set up the Brož & Sokol law firm together with JUDr. Jan Brož, which then became the Brož & Sokol & Novák law firm in 1999. Dr. Sokol provides civil and criminal law legal services, and is particularly active in aspects of economic crime in the later. Part of his work in commercial law involves conducting company general meetings, particularly in cases where conflict between shareholders is expected. He also represents companies in court proceedings and arbitration proceedings, where he makes use of his experience as an arbitrator and provides legal services to the public sector in this field. Dr. Sokol is a consultant for resolving internal problems in companies and for sales of company equity. He also provides legal services in the field of civil law, where his specialization includes the protection of personal rights, including disputes involving the protection of a legal entity’s good name. He has co-authored “Computer Law” and “Information and Telecommunications Systems Law”, the second edition of which received the Czech Association of Competent Communications Award in 2004 and is the author of “Press and Law”. Dr. Sokol lectures at the CEVRO Institut School of Political Studies.
