Syngenta ' s leaders in infrastructure , cybersecurity and cloud strategy share their fast-track transformation programme
SYNGENTA
Syngenta ' s leaders in infrastructure , cybersecurity and cloud strategy share their fast-track transformation programme
Widely known as a leading science-based innovator in agritech , Syngenta needs very little introduction . In addition to its multi-billion-dollar turnover and 30,000-strong workforce , the global company is known for its significant investment in the scientific side of the business , driving advances in agritech that help farmers meet global demands surrounding sustainability and growth . As such , Syngenta dedicates a whopping $ 1.3bn a year to R & D , regularly bringing new products to market ; this dedication to identifying cutting-edge tech and practices has helped it maintain its lead in a competitive market .
Despite this , though , the 22-year-old organisation faces the same problems as any other large business when keeping up with tech and security advances in a constantly fluctuating environment – with the two being interdependent in certain areas like cloud security and therefore complex to maintain .
Syngenta ' s Global Head of Infrastructure and Cybersecurity , Vanja Vlaski , oversees the company ' s networks , included within which is cloud , as well as workplace technologies , the helpdesk , and overall cybersecurity .
“ Infrastructure and security are at the base of any company today . Anything that goes wrong in any sub-department impacts every single employee and the company overall . As an example , having a data breach causes parts of our operations to stop , and that has an immediate financial impact . If some part of our cloud service is unavailable , key business applications don ' t work . That ' s a simplistic explanation of how important all these interdependent technologies are .”
The world of agriculture is , according to Vlaski , surprisingly fastpaced and forward-thinking in terms of cyber and technology , so it ’ s important that the same attitude is applied to the security of those .
“ Nowadays , as you go on investing in infrastructure , you don ’ t take that static view any more ; falling behind in capability , getting out of touch with latest technologies , developments and frameworks can have that direct , immediate impact all the way to where your sales and go-to-market strategies interface with your customer . This is as fast-changing a technology landscape as it is anywhere else .”
68 January 2023