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CYBERSECURITY

Temi Adebambo

When Temi Adebambo became the first-ever CISO of XBOX in 2024, he had a huge job ahead of him.

About six months before Adebambo took the position, Microsoft closed its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, making it the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue.

“My first year was really spent harmonizing security governance across what was now more than 30 global game studios,” Adebambo told IT Brew, adding it was a “defining year” for the company to see what leadership would look like at the newly combined organization.

It’s just a game…or is it? Adebambo—who is a self-proclaimed gamer, playing anywhere between 10 and 20 hours per week—said the gaming industry is very “unique” compared to other industries. For starters, he is tasked with protecting real-time transactions, personal data, and financial information “all in the same space.”

“Unlike traditional enterprise security, you’re not protecting just corporate data and business operations. In gaming, you’re protecting…highly interactive 24/7 life services,” Adebambo said, adding that this industry has a “passionate, but sometimes adversarial player base.”

And the stakes in gaming aren’t just monetary.—BM

☕ CISO Live