E-Business
Best DR Plan Can be Invalidated by a Wrong Hand-Dijkstra
Marc Dijkstra, chief technology officer, Symantec in charge of the Emerging Region including Russia, the Middle East, Southern Mediterranean and Africa. He has an in-depth knowledge of the data management, storage and high availability landscape. Marc worked with Computer Work Station Sales as a support engineer before he moved to VERITAS UK as a Storage and Availability Presales specialist before joining Symantec in 2007. He spoke to emeka okafor.
Promoting Green IT
From Symantec perspective, being a software and infrastructure company and taking into cognizance that we are into storage and virtualization technology, promoting Green IT is something we are heavily into. We have a number of tools that help customers identify areas which they can actually save cooling and heating costs saving amount of storage that they use. As an example, we have one of our products that can identify when you are underutilizing your storage. One of the biggest problems you can have is underutilization of your storage. When you have all these and they are not being used you still pay electricity bill as you need to cool the systems. . We can identify the storage that is not in use and try to drive utilization up by mopping the underutilization storage to the storage element we can identify. So every thing Green IT, we have a number of tools also as a consulting firm that can identify how much power we can save by dragging up utilization process.
Optimizing Storage Resources Utilization
One of the things we looked at when we started the standardization initiative was that it is part of our bold strategies to identify within the storage management brief. One of the things we did was to identify where we could save customers Tier One storage cost by moving data from Tier One storage to the secondary storage having the same data. We do that in subtle space. We have a customer in Nigeria who is looking at ways to take their old data from Tier One old expensive disc and put it on a cheaper disc. He estimated that he could save approximately 80 per cent of his storage disc by moving the Tier One disc into the Tier Two disc at a much lower price than the Tier One disc. It means that the customer doesn’t need to buy a new storage system .He can buy the cheapest disc and a recycle forward will be able to take that data and put it on to shape.
Overview of Products
Symantec has a number of products. I have lost count but I think it has close to 200 products. Symantec is storage and availability company as well as a security company. We have a very bold range of products from the traditional security products, back up products, duplication, archiving, enterprise desktop management etc, but the joy of Symantec is that we are a heterogeneous company and we have a very broad range of applications on storage. According to IDC Report (late last quarter) Symantec is now the number one leader in the storage management space and we lead significantly over the other competitors. The product I work more is on high availability and storage management space.
Guidelines for a Successful Storage Strategy
Testing, testing, and testing. We did a Disaster Recovery Report in 2008 and one of the problems we had is that people are not testing the disaster recovery strategy enough. People will do DR test once a year but it is not effective. It’s really not effective to cover all the bases. Two tests once every six months is ideal. There is need to do for instance virus test to ascertain what will happen if virus hits the system and that is very important. Besides testing, DR is expensive especially if you are running critical operations like Telcos and mobile providers of the billing system. You cannot switch that system off otherwise you will be affecting the service of your consumers. So you have to balance how you are going to test your DR without affecting your customers, your bottom line, and your staff. I think the industry is thinking more along how to automate the testing without having disruption and Symantec has ways we actually allow you to automate DR tests without disrupting your actual application.
It is one key word when it comes to disaster recovery- the planning. Having a good disaster recovery plan and doing your risk analysis is most important in DR strategy because whatever happens we make sure that it works.
Best Practice for Disaster Recovery
It is firstly, the plan has to be in place. Be it internal plan or an outside consulting plan, the business has to have understanding of what the risk appetite is. What can they afford to do without and for how long? If it is a financial institution that is doing online trading, it can’t really be down. Government legislation in some cases will actually disallow that so your risk appetite has to be assessed before you can identify. So once your DR plan is actually in place and you have identified your risk appetite then you can identify the way you go. But remember how much you do it depends on cost as we have a sliding scale for various services I think the most important thing when talking about best practice is that once you identify the risk appetite you must identify plan and once your plan is in place it must be assessed. We have a very interesting statistics that in 2007 we found 55% of our respondents at the C level were involved in DR planning process. Last year we found that it dropped to 33%. So one question is that has DR become little focused or was it a defect in the organization that it just had to happen? It’s a question I have asked in Nigeria. The people I have spoken to in Nigeria are very more executive level discussions. The C level is involved in the DR strategy, DR process and DR planning. Either that in your office you will have a DR strategy committee to discuss the most important issues on DR strategy and not doing it once and leaving it because you need to continue with your testing on hourly basis and at the centre. One wrong man point can invalidate the whole outline
Focus of Symantec Products
It all depends. A lot of people even small to mediums are trying to locate their risks appetite, what they can do to keep their businesses up and running. From small to mediums if they lose their data could mean the end of the business. So you get to look at ways to do it. Small to mediums may not have DR strategy the way a financial house will have with gig net, internet. We play in all spaces, be it small to medium businesses, even to consumer.
IT Risk Management
IT risk management from Symantec perspective, we do certainly get involved in IT risks assessment in understanding the risk appetite with the customer. From my perspective, IT risk management understands the risk of the business either from internal or external, hacking, be it data loss, natural disaster or whatever it could be and und a committee in change control. Remember if you don’t have a change committee you are introducing risk into your environment.
Customers in Nigeria
I met with a number of executives from finance a couple of months back and the interesting thing to me was that although this knowledge is special but what made clear to me at the moment is that the CIOs are certainly coming down the line. Nigeria seeing what is going on in the Americas, India, MEA and Europe, there is legislation about keeping your data available, there’s legislation about holding data especially in the finance industry so it is in their minds. I wouldn’t say from my experience in dealing with the people. Email availability all the time is very important to people, I have a very lengthy discussion with CIOs about a month ago around the six points and it is very much in the full front of their minds.
New Products
What you will see coming down the line in the nearest future is looking at ways of mitigating the risks to the business. We mitigate risk by automating processes and by doing correct testing. What we will be looking at in our new product is that we will be looking at ways to go and test the environment and do risk analysis on the environment, weigh and identify the risks and report home the risk before problem happens. High availability cost ream technology will do the risks of the strategy and help check analysis and find out where issues are. It is one of the control processes you can look at multi- faceted, if one of the PCs fails its all about mitigation of risks
Energy Problem
One of the things Symantec is driving for is to reduce the amount of heating in the environment. One of the things talked about in the DR report as well as the stage of the data centre report just released is that the strategy of the CIO data center manager is still around consolidation, virtualization and automation. These are the three key areas in the 2007 report that came up again in 2008. By going the virtualization route, you are driving down the electricity needs. The Green IT makes this strong. So if we can tie Green IT with the strategy of the data center we are driving down the huge need of electricity. With our technology you use less service and storage so we are helping the customer drive down demand for electricity used to cool and power the data center. Virtualization is one of the strategies from Symantec through which demand for storage electricity is reduced. With the cost ream technology you don’t need as many services so you are driving down the cost of electricity again. There is electricity problem even in South Africa also. It is not just Africa that has electricity problem. There was a report in California running out of power. There’s a problem in Florida. Electricity is a global crisis so Symantec and IT industry have to look at innovative ways to drive down need for this power.
The course is developed by Kaspersky AI Technology Research Center and aims to equip cybersecurity professionals with the essential skills to understand, evaluate and defend against vulnerabilities in large language models (LLMs).
The advent of LLMs has revolutionised the way companies develop and interact with Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, while simultaneously introducing new and intricate security challenges.
A Kaspersky study has revealed that already in 2024 more than half of companies have implemented AI and Internet of Things (IoT) in their infrastructure. As these technologies become increasingly embedded in corporate systems and processes, understanding how they can be targeted, what vulnerabilities can be exploited for cyber attacks and how to defend against them is no longer optional—it’s a vital skill for cybersecurity professionals.
To address this critical need, Kaspersky has expanded its renowned Cybersecurity Training portfolio with a new online course dedicated to the security of LLMs. Designed to provide a solid foundation in this emerging field, the course equips professionals with the expertise to assess vulnerabilities, implement effective defences and design resilient AI systems. Participants will engage with real-world cases and practical assignments, honing their ability to deploy robust security measures and enhance the resilience of LLM-based applications.
The course draws upon the extensive expertise of the Kaspersky AI Technology Research Center, whose specialists have been dedicated to AI in cybersecurity and secure AI for nearly two decades—advancing the detection and mitigation of a wide spectrum of threats. Led by Vladislav Tushkanov, Research Development Group Manager at Kaspersky, the programme offers an engaging learning experience through compelling video lectures, practical hands-on labs and interactive exercises, enabling participants to:
- Explore exploitation techniques such as jailbreaks, prompt injections and token smuggling to understand how to defend against them.
- Develop practical defence strategies across various levels—model, prompt, system and service.
- Apply structured frameworks for assessing and enhancing LLM security.
This training is useful for those starting their careers in AI cybersecurity, engineers building or integrating LLMs, and specialists working closely with AI infrastructure.
“The rise of large language models has revolutionised the approach taken by organisations to building and engaging with AI, opening new horizons of possibility. Yet, this technological leap also brings intricate security puzzles that demand immediate attention.
For cybersecurity experts, mastering the art of spotting, exploiting and shielding against these vulnerabilities has become a vital craft. That’s why we developed this specialised course—to arm professionals with the insights and hands-on tools necessary to safeguard LLM-driven applications and stay one step ahead of the evolving threat landscape,” says Vladislav Tushkanov, Research Development Group Manager at Kaspersky.
By Reuben Kalu
The final quarter of the year, especially November and December, is the highest-selling season for many businesses in Nigeria. Consumers are more eager to spend, festive activities drive demand, and competition among brands intensifies. The question is: how do you ensure your business doesn’t just participate, but dominates? The answer lies in strategic positioning. To attract the larger market, businesses must go beyond price slashes and quick promotions. Instead, they need to study their market, understand their target audience, and build a comprehensive marketing campaign that covers every aspect of the sales funnel.
Start with social media advertising—platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn are critical to spark interest and build awareness. Then, ensure your landing pages are optimized for conversion, offering fast-loading, mobile-friendly designs with persuasive copy and clear calls-to-action. Add display marketing and retargeting so your brand stays in front of prospects even after they leave your site.
But here’s the game-changer: e-commerce integration. Nigerian consumers are increasingly shopping online, and mobile-first convenience is driving sales. Businesses that invest in seamless e-commerce platforms, smooth checkout experiences, flexible payment options, and reliable logistics will stand out. Coupling this with targeted email marketing ensures your audience receives personalized offers that feel timely and relevant.Q4 (October to December) is a golden window for Nigerian businesses. Consumer demand peaks, emotions run high, and people are more open to spending for the holidays, weddings, gifting, lifestyle upgrades, and end-of-year celebrations. Businesses that plan well now will not just attract sales, but build long-term brand loyalty.
Here’s my advice and strategy breakdown tailored for Nigerian businesses 👇
1. Study the Market & Audience Deeply
• Consumer behavior: Nigerians spend more in Nov–Dec on fashion, food, drinks, travel, gadgets, and lifestyle.
• Pain points: Price sensitivity, trust issues (original vs fake), delivery timelines, and festive discounts.
• Audience segmentation: Identify core buyers (youth, families, corporate gift buyers, professionals, event planners).
2. Positioning for Growth
💡 Stand out by being trustworthy, emotionally engaging, and present across multiple touchpoints.
Your messaging should tie into aspiration, family, gifting, and success — key emotional drivers in Nigeria’s festive season.
3. Marketing Strategies to Supercharge Growth
🔹 Social Media Adverts
• Run targeted ads on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn depending on your niche.
• Use festive creatives (end-of-year countdowns, Christmas/New Year imagery, Naija vibes).
• Focus on short videos, reels, and carousels showing real-life product usage.
🔹 Landing Page Optimization
• Create seasonal offers landing pages (e.g., “Naija December Deals” or “End-of-Year Mega Sale”).
• Make checkout easy: fast-loading, mobile-optimized, clear CTAs.
• Add urgency triggers (countdown timers, limited stock notifications).
🔹 Display Marketing
• Partner with popular blogs, lifestyle sites, and news platforms Nigerians consume daily.
• Use Google Display Ads to keep visibility high across the web.
🔹 Re-Targeting
• Many Nigerians browse without buying. Retarget via Facebook Pixel, Google Ads, or email reminders.
• Example: “Still thinking about it? Prices go up in 48 hours!”
🔹 E-Marketing (Email & WhatsApp)
• Send personalized festive newsletters (holiday gift guides, exclusive discounts).
• Use WhatsApp broadcast lists for flash sales and loyalty offers.
• Segment lists into VIP customers, dormant leads, and prospects.
🔹 Brand Messaging
• Keep your narrative emotional and festive: “Celebrate Success. Share Love. Gift Original.”
• Push authenticity, reliability, and urgency.
• Leverage Nigerian pride and relatable language.
4. Pro Tips to Dominate
• Bundle deals & gift packages: Nigerians love value. Bundle products for family & gifting.
• Leverage influencers: Micro-influencers in Nigeria drive trust faster than traditional ads.
• Customer service as a differentiator: Fast delivery, responsive WhatsApp support, no hidden charges.
• SEO + SEM: Optimize your Google presence so when people search “Best Gifts in Lagos” or “Buy Watch in Abuja,” you show up first.
Finally, sharpen your brand messaging—create campaigns that evoke emotions, highlight your unique value, and position your brand as the first choice for holiday spending. When combined, these efforts don’t just drive end-of-year sales; they build loyalty, expand market share, and create momentum for the new year. The brands that win this season are those that take a 360-degree marketing approach—where social media, e-commerce, advertising, funnels, and storytelling work together to supercharge growth.
✅ Bottom Line:
To win in November & December, businesses in Nigeria must build a full-funnel campaign — from awareness (social ads, display) to consideration (landing pages, retargeting) to conversion (email/WhatsApp, strong CTAs) and loyalty (after-sales experience).
This is how you not only sell more but also own your market space going into 2026.
E-Business
Kaspersky, Partners Launch a Career Orientation Test to Inspire more Girls into Cybersecurity
Kaspersky, together with Smart Africa and Africaines in Tech, has launched an innovative, science-backed career orientation test “Future You in Tech” created to promote professional development for young women in the cybersecurity industry and help remove potential entry barriers. The test is designed to help them discover which career paths best align with their interests, skills, and personality.
The IT industry continues to face a significant gender imbalance. While technology is one of the fastest-growing fields shaping the global future, women remain underrepresented due to systemic barriers such as stereotypes and unequal workplace opportunities.
According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2024, women make up only 28.2% of the global STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) workforce.
With this new initiative, Kaspersky and its partners aim to lower these barriers by sparking interest, building awareness, and offering guidance to the next generation of women in cybersecurity.
The orientation test is designed to help young women discover which cybersecurity career paths best align with their interests, skills, personality, and values. The test guides participants through scenarios that reveal their natural problem-solving styles and strengths.
Once completed, the results highlight each participant’s top two matches out of six possible cybersecurity roles. The six cybersecurity paths covered in the test are:
- Threat Intelligence — analysing cybercriminal groups and predicting their next moves.
- Security Operations (SOC) — monitoring systems, detecting threats, and responding to incidents.
- Malware Analysis — reverse-engineering malicious code and creating detection rules.
- Network Security — protecting IT infrastructure, running penetration tests, and securing networks.
- Information Security Research — uncovering vulnerabilities, exploring new attack techniques, and designing security standards.
- Security Assessment — testing and auditing systems to identify risks before attackers exploit them.
By taking just a few minutes to complete the test, young women can gain a clearer picture of how their abilities and passions align with the cybersecurity profession and take their first step towards a rewarding career protecting people, organisations, and the digital society at large.
Alongside these personalised matches, participants receive explanations of the roles and advice from Kaspersky’s female experts who work in these fields.
They also receive suggested next steps such as recommended readings or practical activities to try, developed together with Smart Africa, Africaines in Tech, and Kaspersky Academy.
“We recommend young women to take this orientation test — even if you never considered a career in cybersecurity. This test would provide you with an unbiased view — while cybersecurity is a field, that requires technical skills development, it also needs curiosity, creativity, problem-solving, and resilience — qualities many young women already have.
The test would help one to connect strengths with real career paths, empower to see a future in cybersecurity and to take first steps with confidence,” comments Evgeniya Russkikh, Head of Academic Affairs at Kaspersky.
This launch builds on Kaspersky’s long-term commitment to supporting women in technology. As of early 2023, women represented 25 percent of the company’s global tech workforce — a 6.9 percentage point increase over four years.
To further amplify women’s voices, Kaspersky also runs the Empower Women digital project, which raises awareness of gender-related challenges, shares expert perspectives, and offers practical advice for building fairer and more inclusive environments in tech and beyond.
Airtel Africa Foundation Launches 100 Tech Scholarships for Nigerian Undergraduates
Lagos Trends Worldwide After Hosting E1 Lagos GP Africa’s Maiden Water Racing Event
Nigeria Seeks to Raise $2.8Bn Including its First International Sukuk
Firm Introduces a New Training ‘Large Language Models Security’
Beware of AfriQuantumX Ponzi Scheme- SEC
Telecom2 days agoAkwa Ibom, T2 Set to Drive Digital Transformation
E-Business2 days agoKaspersky, Partners Launch a Career Orientation Test to Inspire more Girls into Cybersecurity
E-Financial2 days agoAfDB to Lend Nigeria $500m in Fresh Budget Support
Telecom1 day agoChronicles Software unveils free SuccessBOX.ng platform for SS3 students, announces ₦10m reward scheme
Telecom2 days agontel Gets Fresh Capital Injection for 2026 Relaunch
E-Financial2 days agoCBN Releases New Guidelines, Caps POS Agent Daily Transactions at N1.2m
E-Financial2 days agoReps Plan to Regulate Cryptocurrency, PoS Operations
E-Financial2 days agoFidelity Bank Hosts Black-Tie Gala Honouring Afreximbank President Prof. Benedict Oramah