EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
AS AFRICAN ENTERPRISES ADOPT CLOUD AND DIGITAL PLATFORMS , ADVANCING IN THEIR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEYS , WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES THEY FACE AROUND DATA AND SECURITY ?
Establishing clear policies and protocols for data handling , access controls , and usage guidelines lays the foundation for a secure data environment . By delineating roles and responsibilities , organisations can foster a culture of accountability and transparency . Executives from ESET , Commvault , Intellinexus , Data Management Professionals respond .
CAREY VAN VLAANDEREN , CEO ESET SOUTHERN AFRICA
Businesses will have to navigate a complex and evolving terrain of cyber threats . Today ’ s cybercriminals are well-resourced , dynamic , and often rely on the element of surprise in their attacks . One of the best ways organisations can level the playing field and gain the upper hand is by understanding the threat landscape to make more informed decisions .
In addition to greater awareness , having robust security solutions in place is the best way to prevent attacks from happening , and help businesses build the necessary resilience they need for the future . By collecting , analysing , and contextualising information about cyber threats , including the most advanced ones , threat intelligence offers a critical method to identify , assess and mitigate cyber risk .
Given the prevalence of advanced and persistent threats , there will be sustained growth in the MSP channel area , particularly where the cybersecurity needs in Southern and Eastern African countries can be addressed more thoroughly . Similar to other regions , including South Africa , East Africa is confronted with various cyber threats such as phishing , malware , ransomware , and data breaches .
Managed Detection and Response , MDR services are set to be a major trend for businesses to watch . MDR , the specialised service offered by external providers , is designed to help organisations proactively search for and respond to cybersecurity threats as soon as they are identified . MDR tackles several key challenges faced by modern businesses at once , most especially the shortfall of in-house security expertise .
Establishing and training dedicated security teams for continuous threat monitoring is possible for larger organisations with ample resources , but much harder for SMEs . Added to the challenge is that SMEs are attractive and therefore frequent targets of cyberattacks , but simply cannot maintain a dedicated team of skilled security professionals to monitor and manage the sheer volume of evolving threats .
26 INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA www . intelligentcio . com