Meet the Team — Mark Winstanley and Ali Guillaume Sanaknaki

In our latest instalment of Meet the Team we talk to Mark Winstanley, UK Head of Cyber Security, and Ali Guillaume Sanaknaki, Cyber Security Analyst, about why cyber security should be a ‘big team effort’ as Ali reflects on his international internship with Cegedim Rx…

Q. Ali, you’re normally based at Cegedim’s Paris office. What brought you to spend time with the team in Preston?

Ali: I’m the first intern to join Cegedim Rx from Cegedim France! In May, I jumped on a plane from Paris to Preston for a 3-month cyber security internship with Cegedim Rx at their HQ in Preston as part of my cyber security degree.

It was my first time working abroad and I’ve loved learning new ways of working, experiencing British culture and getting to travel to Liverpool, York, Manchester, Edinburgh and London. It’s been an unforgettable experience!

Mark: We’re really enjoying having Ali with us in Preston. Cyber security is so short of new talent. Giving someone switched-on like Ali a paid opportunity in the industry is great. And it pays dividends – Ali is working towards his degree and we’re getting a fresh perspective. It’s a win, win!

Q. What does an average day in the Cegedim Rx cyber security team look like?

Ali: There isn’t one! Every day has different challenges. I help deal with threat incidents that our tools detect - from phishing alerts to handling Privileged Access Management (PAM) which controls access to sensitive systems and data. I help to protect our laptops and devices from ransomware too.

Mark: The context Cegedim Rx works in is always changing. My job is to keep on top of it.

So I go to lots of events with global leaders to find out the latest legal requirements and best practice for cyber security and data protection. This helps us to have the best strategy to keep our pharmacies and the patient data they manage safe.

Q. How does being part of an international group like Cegedim benefit your cyber security strategy?

Mark: Healthcare systems are a big target for cybers criminals. It’s not like what we see on Netflix! Hackers aren’t just one guy in a hoody in his bedroom. They’re often part of global criminal networks that spend all day every day trying to hack into systems like ours. The good news is Cegedim Group has a huge global reach with around 6,000 employees in roughly 40 different countries. So the different cyber security teams do like to ‘geek out’ together - comparing notes on threat intelligence, the latest solutions and techniques. It’s really useful to get different points of view.

Ali: It’s great to see Cegedim Group tackling challenges as one global team. And working with Mark to comparing France vs UK tactics has been really interesting. There’s a lot to learn from both.

Q. What’s been your biggest achievement at Cegedim Rx?

Ali: The active directory project has been a big achievement. I’m helping to spot gaps and risks that we may not have thought about. To keep Cegedim Rx systems up to date I’ve ‘cleaned’ the inactive accounts, and accounts with non-expiry passwords. Things like getting into good habits by regularly changing passwords give us an added layer of protection. It’s all about small improvements, little and often.

The Cegedim Rx team has been so welcoming. I’m grateful for their time and patience in teaching me security best practice. And my English has improved every day.

Mark: It’s not just about the latest gadgets and gizmos – although they are very fun! A big part of our job is talking about cyber security risks that helps everyone ‘get it’. For me, the biggest achievement is when it clicks for everyone. Just this week a colleague genuinely told me ‘I'm loving this new password manager’. Really! It’s not just us techies that say this stuff - cyber security is a big team effort.

Q. Why about working in healthcare technology appealed to you both?

Ali: I’m really proud of the work we do. Protecting the availability, integrity, and confidentiality of the data is very important. When we do our job well, our customers can do more for their patients.

Mark: Healthcare has been under such attack from cyber criminals. Think of the cyber-attack on Synnovis last year which impacted blood donations. Cyber security impacts real people's lives. Lots of businesses think cyber security is just an IT problem which drives us mad. In reality, it’s a business commitment. And Cegedim Rx totally understand that. We’ve got a very talented in-house team. It’s not just a legal requirement for us; it's a mark of trust for our customers. To provide that assurance and sense of confidence. Using our skills to support that and help protect people and businesses is something I’m very passionate about.

Q. We know you both love tech, but what do you do to get some time away from the screen?

Ali: I like to go hiking. Recently I did the Lake District Three Peaks Challenge - climbing Scafell Pike, Helvellyn and Skiddaw in one weekend. The views at the top were incredible!

Mark: I love working in the garden. It’s like doing a four-dimensional painting - I find it really rewarding.