State-owned defence industrial group Denel has urged the government to support the development of and make use of the capabilities of the group’s recently established division, Denel Sovereign Security Solutions (Denel S3). The aim was to ensure that cybersecurity for government information and communications technology (ICT) networks is in the hands of South Africans in a State-owned entity.

With the rapid growth and ubiquity of the Internet, the government had hitherto paid little attention to where it had sourced Internet hardware, software and services from. Denel senior executive: business development Mark Minnies highlighted that networks of ICT systems are responsible for the management of critical national infrastructure, both State (such as the Presidency, Defence, Justice, Police, as well as Emergency Services) and private sector.

He affirmed that the government should look to Denel S3 as its technology partner in this environment, pointing out that the Denel group was already “trusted”, had personnel who were already security vetted, and already operated in the areas of national defence and security. The group also already had “ample” systems engineering capabilities and knows systems thinking. By using Denel, the State would be using its own technical engineering capabilities.

“Denel S3 is preparing for the new digital wave in technology that is sweeping through our global society,” he reported. “We are developing solutions and training staff with a specific focus on software technology and software integration in particular. This implies the ability to work with various software subsystems, sensors and sub-suppliers to deliver bespoke systems that comply with the highest levels of security and integrity. … Denel will in future increasingly explore working with local companies with locally developed technologies who will in turn contribute to providing complete solutions in the digital environment.”

The new division has identified a number of sectors and projects to focus on. “Should government support the efforts of Denel S3 in the digital space for national security-related programmes, one can assume improved integrity in national systems,” he argued.

Other advantages include the increased development of digital skills of government human capital instead of the current over-reliance on the private sector – and in some cases of foreign origin,” he affirmed. “It could also lead to an increased demand for locally developed software subsystems instead of the current widespread practice of supporting foreign software locally.”