A top IT consultant from London is to be the keynote speaker at a conference in Bermuda on cybersecurity.

Darren Wray, chief executive officer of IT firm Fifth Step, will feature at the Secure Bermuda 2016 conference, to be held next Wednesday.

Mr Wray, who is a regular visitor to the island where Fifth Step has an office, said: “I am honoured to be chosen as the keynote.

“Cybersecurity risks are constantly rising and Bermuda is not immune.

“This event will be a great opportunity to bring the IT security leaders of Bermuda together to have an important conversation about how we can work together to mitigate these risks.”

The event, sponsored by EventTracker, a provider of remote-managed security information and management, will be held at the Hamilton Princess.

Mr Wray will be joined by other industry experts to discuss cybersecurity threats and trends and is designed to equip delegates with the tools to fight current and future threats.

The other experts include Lloyd Holder, vice-president, IT services at the Bermuda Hospitals Board, Colin van den Bosch, senior vice-president and head of information technology at Clarien Bank, Ronnie Viera, chief operating officer at First Atlantic Commerce, and Kevin Lohan, information technology manager at Arch Reinsurance.

Among the topics to be discussed are cybersecurity in healthcare, banking and finance, education and retail, how to combat ransomware during a time of skills shortage and trends in ransomware and malware, as well as how to best defend against them.

AN Ananth, EventTracker CEO, who will also speak at the conference, said: “Cybersecurity is a global concern. It affects all interconnected economies.

“While technology has evolved to meet the threat, the attackers have been evolving as well and the arms race continues to escalate.

“The weak link is the scarcity of security analysts to leverage increasingly sophisticated defence tools.

“Remote-managed security services are an effective and economical approach to addressing this skills shortage.

“We’d like to thank the Government of Bermuda and the industry speakers for their participation and keen insights.”

For more information on the conference and to register, visit: http://www.securebermuda.com.