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Bring Your Own Device, Don’t Forget Security

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Scott Totzke
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Mobile devices have become so seamlessly integrated in our lives that we don’t think twice about completing any kind of transaction across our phones or tablets – making a purchase, depositing money into the bank or checking email for work.

These devices have become our personal assistants in both our work and personal lives, which is why more businesses are embracing bring-your-own-device (BYOD) environments.

According to Forrester, Inc., in 2016, 350 million employees will use smartphones and 200 million will bring their own devices to the workplace.

However, the increase in BYOD represents one of the greatest challenges and opportunities facing organizations and governments today.

Employees benefit from staying connected to work email and data when they are away from the office.

But, to accommodate access from personal mobile devices, many IT departments have relaxed their standards and security to find cost-effective ways to connect disparate devices through a firewall.

In a global survey of executives, 49 percent stated the complexity of securing multiple data sources is a top challenge, while 48 percent reported they lacked knowledge of mobile-access security. In mobile computing, security is most effective when it’s baked in from the ground up, not layered on or strung together.

A patchwork of third-party security products is not adequate in a multi-platform environment, because it leaves the user susceptible to security breaches and interrupts the overall user experience.

The lowered level of security can also become a concern for both the enterprise as IT managers will reduce the level of management capabilities, and the end user as core functionality such as Web browsing and access to app stores is disabled.

In this case, the CIO is forced to marginalize the investment in mobility, making it just about email and calendar updates – missing an opportunity to really transform the business. 

Getting this balance between user experience and security right is the most important success factor for the CIO in today’s BYOD world.

For optimal security, organizations should seek out solutions that are capable of meeting corporate network requirements while concurrently providing three layers of security at the device, server and network level.

 With the right mobile container solution, organizations don’t have to compromise their security requirements to allow employees to carry the devices they choose. But the challenge becomes preventing the secure mobile computing environment from encroaching on the user experience.

The key point of embracing BYOD is offering employees technology that makes them more efficient as they transition from work to personal tasks.

To achieve this, their smartphone or tablet needs to provide the same capabilities as they have on a desktop: attaching emails, browsing the Web, toggling between work/personal environments, using applications, accessing Documents to Go, and much more.

These capabilities help organizations of any size and from any vertical arm their employees with secure devices that meet the demands of their job while keeping total cost of ownership down.

Another important fact to remember about BYOD security solutions is how the market has demonstrated the superiority of management systems and infrastructure that support multiple devices running varied operating systems.

In an environment where mobile technology innovation moves so quickly, organizations need to think about security solutions that provide the flexibility to adopt future technological advances.

For employees, the ultimate value in BYOD is the ability to have both work and personal functionality on a single device that is capable of keeping their data separate and secure. With the right BYOD solution, organizations will be able to strike the right balance between security, user experience and total cost of ownership.

Scott Totzke is responsible for maintaining, consistently, high standard for the security of BlackBerry products and services and helping to shape BlackBerry’s regulatory compliance, lawful access and privacy strategies on global scale.
His organization includes enterprise product management and strategy, security product life cycle management, operations and government sales. He founded and directs the BlackBerry Security teams that have made the transparency of its security solutions BlackBerry’s single biggest differentiator in enterprise and consumer markets. BlackBerry solutions continue to lead the mobile industry in certifications and security approvals, meeting the strict requirements of government and other security conscious organizations.

 

 


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E-Business

Galaxy Backbone Celebrates the Federal Government’s Paperless Civil Service Milestone

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Galaxy Backbone (GBB) aligns with and celebrates the successful announcement by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation on the achievement of a Paperless Civil Service, a significant milestone in Nigeria’s public sector reform and digital transformation agenda.

The milestone was formally highlighted at a press briefing led by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who commended Galaxy Backbone for its sustained support and contribution throughout the implementation of the programme.

GBB has played a critical role in enabling this transition by providing secure, scalable, and shared digital infrastructure that supports the digitisation of government processes across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). Through the 1Government Cloud, MDAs have been empowered to migrate from paper-based workflows to digital platforms, improving efficiency, collaboration, data security, and service delivery across the Federal Civil Service.

In addition, GovMail, GBB’s secure government email platform, has strengthened official communication, enhanced records management, and reinforced cybersecurity standards—key pillars in sustaining a paperless operating environment.

Galaxy Backbone acknowledges the collective efforts of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Permanent Secretaries, Directors of ICT, consultants, partners, and dedicated public servants whose commitment and collaboration ensured the smooth delivery of this initiative.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone, Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju, was represented at the press briefing by Akintayo Bamisaye, Acting Group Head, Research, Digital Innovation and Skills Department (RDIS).

GBB describes the achievement as a strong close to 2025 and reaffirms its commitment to supporting the Federal Government in building a modern, efficient, and digitally enabled public service.


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Jumia CEO says Black Friday Signals Nigeria’s E-Commerce Maturity

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At the close of 2025, Temidayo Ojo, the CEO of Jumia Nigeria, reflected on a year-end shopping season that points to the growing maturity of the country’s e-commerce market. “Black Friday is no longer a single, short-lived spike in activity,” he said.

“It has become a familiar, anticipated moment in the retail calendar, where consumers shop deliberately and with confidence.”

Preliminary KPIs for the two months ended November 30, 2025, show strong year-on-year growth in both orders and Gross Merchandise Value (GMV), with GMV growth outpacing order growth. This indicates that customers are placing fuller, more considered baskets rather than shopping in fragmented transactions. Nigeria ranked among Jumia Group’s better-performing markets, with engagement remaining steady throughout the Black Friday period rather than spiking briefly and tapering off.

A key factor behind this performance is the growing familiarity of consumers with online shopping. Customers are increasingly leveraging platform features such as saved carts, brand stores, and price comparison tools to plan purchases in advance. This trend suggests that digital commerce is becoming embedded in everyday habits rather than being viewed as a one-off event.

Ojo also highlighted the role of Jumia’s JForce network in connecting digital commerce to local communities. “Our agents are critical to ensuring that customers across Nigeria, including secondary cities and smaller communities, have access to variety, consistent pricing, and reliable delivery,” he said. “During peak periods like Black Friday, JForce agents can respond faster, serve more customers efficiently, and build stronger local relationships. This isn’t just a distribution channel—it’s a pathway to sustainable income and inclusion.”

Reflecting on the overall performance, the CEO concluded: “What we’re seeing this year-end is steady engagement across categories, stronger consumer confidence, and partners like our JForce agents benefiting from increased activity.

“It confirms that Nigeria’s e-commerce ecosystem is maturing, growing in a more structured and resilient way. As the December Holiday Sale continues, we expect these patterns of familiarity, trust, and participation to sustain momentum and drive both commerce and community impact across the country.”


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Galaxy Backbone Tops FG’s Website Performance Ranking

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Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) has been ranked first overall in the 2025 Federal Government Website Performance Scorecard.

Galaxy Backbone Tops FG's Website Performance Ranking

This is a landmark achievement for Nigeria’s digital economy.

The ranking, conducted by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), is the definitive benchmark for digital excellence and transparency across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

Professor Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju, managing director and CEO of Galaxy Backbone, received the award during a ceremony in Abuja.

He described the feat as a validation of the agency’s“Nigeria First”data sovereignty strategy and its relentless pursuit of service excellence.

This recognition comes as the Federal Government intensifies its push to achieve a fully paperless civil service by December 31, 2025.

GBB has been the primary architect of this transition through its 1Gov Enterprise Content Management (ECM) platform, which now hosts the operations of almost all federal MDAs.

The award adds to a growing list of accolades for Galaxy Backbone in 2025, following its recent win of the “International Standard Excellence Award for Best IT Service Provider.”

As the central hub for government shared services, GBB’s performance serves as a blueprint for other agencies currently undergoing digital transformation.

With its expanded fiber-optic backbone now covering over 13 states and its secure cloud solutions, Galaxy Backbone remains the cornerstone of Nigeria’s vision to become a leading digital nation by the end of the decade.

 


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