By Ignus De Villiers, Managing Executive Cyber Security
As countries around the globe forge ahead on their digital transformation journeys, the amount of data being generated is staggering. In the right hands and used responsibly, this data represents limitless opportunities for growth and digital advancement. In the wrong hands, it exposes individuals and organisations to levels of cybercrime that have the potential to cause untold financial and data losses, even crippling businesses.
Recent market research reports that the global big data market is set to grow from USD 138.9 billion in 2020 to USD 229.4 billion by 2025, due in part to the escalating demand for data-driven decision-making by organisations looking to gain a competitive advantage.
With big data comes the need for equally substantial cyber security solutions.
Africa’s high cyber risk profile
With African countries at various stages of implementing digital transformation initiatives, the continent has become a fertile hunting ground for increasingly sophisticated cyber criminals. With the number of internet users in Africa expected to reach 1.1 billion by 2029, cyber security has never been more important. In South Africa for instance, the Allianz Risk Barometer ranks cyber incidents as the second most dangerous risk (after critical infrastructure blackouts).
From ransomware to phishing, malware and data breaches, the methods are varied, and the results are often catastrophic. Compounding this are outdated, inflexible (and often manual) legacy security controls that can’t keep pace with the enormous scale of data being produced. The result: many African organisations find themselves on the receiving end of threats that simply couldn’t be detected or responded to quickly enough.
Enter automation and predictive analysis
To mitigate these threats, businesses are increasingly working with technology companies like Liquid Intelligent Technologies (Liquid) to automate cyber security-related tasks traditionally performed by human analysts, such as monitoring networks, identifying vulnerabilities, and responding to incidents. Using advanced software and technologies to take care of these tasks results in increased efficiencies, reduced instances of human error, and faster response times. Employees are freed up to concentrate on other aspects of the business.
In an even more advanced step, predictive analytics analyse the large sets of data generated by organisations to identify patterns and predict and mitigate potential threats before they even occur. Powered by machine learning algorithms, these automated systems provide the continuous monitoring and real-time analysis that manual systems can’t, offering organisations significantly enhanced protection against cyber threats and safeguarding digital assets. This improved accuracy over traditional systems, combined with the ability to learn from patterns, is invaluable to businesses on the continent.
Also, in a welcome move, at government level, cyber security is increasingly being recognised and governed through legislation like South Africa’s Cybercrimes Act of 2020.
Multiple layers of automated protection
Another positive is the fact that multiple solutions can be combined to provide various layers of cyber security, covering networks, devices, and other vulnerabilities. At Liquid for instance, we use several advanced technologies in tandem to enhance our cyber security solutions, ensuring that customers are protected on all fronts.
AI-powered systems monitor networks for threats, and automatically block suspicious traffic or isolate devices that either violate policies or show signs of malicious activity. Other platforms collect and analyse logs from various devices, using automated solutions to detect anomalies. Automation features also deal with repetitive security tasks like analysing suspicious emails. Chatbot features guide teams in responding to certain security scenarios, and machine learning tools assess risks and suggest fixes for vulnerabilities. This collaborative, multi-solution approach, implemented by an expert service provider, affords the best results when designing cyber solutions to support African businesses on their digital transformation journeys.
Laying the groundwork for Africa’s digital transformation
Realistically, Africa’s road to digital transformation isn’t straightforward. For many countries and communities, much groundwork – fibre connectivity, awareness, skills development, and economic empowerment – needs to precede the point at which advanced automation and predictive analytics solutions come into play.
The organisations that are already at this advanced level are reaping the benefits of these innovative technologies as they grow their businesses, secure in the knowledge that cyber criminals are being kept at bay.