Kiwi culture to 'look under the IT hood' provides an overseas opportunity
By Peter Kerr for sticK
(sticK - 21 Dec. 2010 ) We've got the national initiative and creativity to look under the hood of IT systems, but the country's missing an opportunity to collectively sell its IT security expertise to the world.
"If we took a pan New Zealand concept of IT security, we could export it and charge accordingly," says Lateral Security sales director, Ratu Mason.
The kiwi attitude to delve into software and its security's depths, as well as legislation that while not exactly encouraging such behaviour, also doesn't forbid it, is an advantage for this country Mason says.
"It is intellectual property that we have, and Google's willing to pay for it because they realise that we're good," he says. Three of Google's top IT security specialists are New Zealanders.
"We're creative, and we need to foster and use that to our country's benefit."
For sticK – science, technology, innovation & commercialisation KNOWLEDGE - is a new Wellington based news service concentrating on following the money from ideas to income. Contact editor Peter Kerr at peter.kerr055 @ gmail.com