Datacom CISO Collin Penman on AI-powered threats and cyber fatigue

Datacom CISO Collin Penman on AI-powered threats and cyber fatigue

CIO Leadership Live: New Zealand · 2025-04-08

Datacom CISO Collin Penman talks about the growing gap between leadership and employees when it comes to cybersecurity, how cyber fatigue is leaving businesses in Australia and New Zealand more exposed, and why AI-powered threats are now keeping security leaders up at night.


Speaking to CIO's Cathy O'Sullivan, Penman dug into Datacom's State of Cybersecurity Index findings, and the reality is sobering. The data shows:


AI-driven attacks now top the threat list for security leaders

Security teams are burning out - 61% in NZ and 58% in Australia report cyber fatigue

Leadership thinks staff are cyber-ready; most employees disagree

40% of employees use AI tools like ChatGPT, yet only 1 in 4 have read their company's AI policies


Penman cut through the hype, emphasizing:

Generic annual security training doesn't work - role-specific, short modules do

AI governance is lagging behind adoption, creating real vulnerabilities

Security teams are still fighting the "Department of No" perception


The most telling point? The disconnect between what leadership believes about security readiness versus what's happening on the ground with employees.

CIO Leadership Live: New Zealand

Host Cathy O’Sullivan, Editor-in-Chief APAC - CIO & CSO brands, sits down with IT leaders throughout New Zealand for in-depth interviews focused on leadership, innovation and business strategy.

  • No. of episodes: 38
  • Latest episode: 2025-05-14
  • Technology

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