Microsoft, now more determined to mitigate data breaches in Nigeria
After a new survey revealed that data breaches were top of the list of security concerns for Nigerian Chief Information Officers, CIOs, Microsoft Nigeria said Wednesday it now had greater responsibility to help the country stem the tide.
In an online meeting with journalists across Africa, Microsoft said part of its responsibilities was to provide not only awareness but also solutions that would help countries and corporate organizations mitigate vulnerabilities and stem the tide of cyber threats.
Ever-changing threat landscape
Country Manager for Microsoft Nigeria, Ola Williams, said: “The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic forced more people to learn, work, shop, bank and connect online than ever before.
”More devices, networks, and connection points have resulted in the expansion of the threat surface, bringing the need for a robust security strategy to the fore. In fact, the FBI ranked Nigeria 16th among the countries most affected by cybercrimes in 2020.
“Security remains a major focus for Nigerian organizations with around 61 percent of companies prioritizing endpoint security solutions as endpoints increasingly move beyond the enterprise core.
“Another 41 percent are implementing VPNs and virtual desktop infrastructure to secure remote workers. In line with the growing threat of phishing and ransomware, half of the organizations are deploying identity and access management, IAM, solutions.
The Report
The Enterprise Security Trends in Nigeria survey conducted by the IDC and commissioned by Microsoft, highlights the latest cloud security developments in Nigeria, stating that 72 percent of Nigerian organizations were increasing their spending on information security.
Also, 21 percent of organizations use a combination of on-premises and cloud solutions, even as that is set to grow to 41 percent over the next two years.
The research says that for Nigerian CIOs, the consequence of a possible security breach is their number one concern as they look to navigate an increasingly complex threat and regulatory landscape.
The research reveals: “Spending on security solutions among companies is growing along with cloud adoption services. 72 percent of organizations in Nigeria have increased security budgets by 10 percent or more over the last few years.
