E-Business
IDC Warns Firms to be Wary of Cybercrimes
The International Data Corporation (IDC) has said that cybercrimes are clear and present dangers which must be taken seriously by individuals, governments and organizations.
Lise Hagen, research manager, Software & IT Services, IDC (Africa), told Nigeria CommunicationsWeek that findings on cybercrimes showed that that are “politically driven” and that targets have been on high value assets / institutions.
She said that IDC researches showed that availability of “criminal services” is growing and rising forces of “hacktivism”.
Upon that corporations are still foot-dragging with regards making enough budgetary allocations to tackling IT security matters.
“There are widening budget gaps when compared to the threats. I think the focus should also embrace devising new strategies to tackle the problems. And that will be dependent on how claver you invest. It is a combination of investment and building of skills presently for the future. It is not just about the work place, we have to start educating people, even in schools; it is a programme for the whole society. The essence is for people to get into the web space and get the required skills. The other part of it is for companies to be strict about the implementation of their set standards or security policies. And that implies not being defensive,” she added.
Commenting on IT heads convincing management on budgets, Hagen said, “First and foremost, if you can give them business value; for instance letting them know the impact attacks will have on the business, the loses and delays, the general risks assessments, they will definitely respond. People compare notes. Unfortunately, most companies would wait until there is a major damage before they realize you are not just crying wolf.
“In other words, as an IT head do not relent in educating the executive not just to invest, rather continue to highlight the impact if disaster occurs. It is also important to get one key stakeholder that defends you at board level. If you can change the mind of one person on senior executive level if you have gotten an advocate; he will keep on banging the drums. And we must realize it is not just IT issue rather it is a business issue”.
Meanwhile, at the recent IDC road show, it has been revealed that greater percentage of IT breaches now stem from internal threats.
“Like one of the stakeholders stated during the road show you do not give people in an organisation any right to disrupt the system. You do not allow them access to the internet or to do anything. That is actually a very defensive-protection measure and in some industries it may work. But on the whole, it is not a viable option, because the world is changing too fast, especially now emphasis is shifting to Bring Your Own device (BYOD).
“So, I will still suggest educating the workforce and doing predictive analysis on your workforce. During the process, the Human Resources person should be linked up with what the IT is doing. For instance, if someone has resigned they is probably a chance he did for not been happy with the company, just control it. It cannot always be a big brother thing, depending on how you handle it, internal IT security threats can be mitigated.
“And some software companies not tackling issues related to security breaches right from the time of developing the software contribute to the headaches people are having. However, we also have to look at where the software is situated for usage. At the same time, we should be careful about how we apply the software, particularly when the issue of intellectual property is involved. Thus, some of the software companies really have to demonstrate value before people will be willing to pay a premium for their products.
“Part of the education has to start with the government. They have to be strict and ensure that before a company is given certificate or licence to develop software credibility has to be one of the criteria. When they do that, or set example with erring ones others will seat up. That will create room for expertise to shine and heighten the value that will stimulate the IT industry in Africa,” the IT research expert added.
Gartner predicts that by 2028, 75 percent of enterprise software engineers will use Artificial Intelligence (AI) code assistants, up from less than 10 percent, currently.
According to a Gartner poll of 598 global respondents conducted in the third quarter of 2023, 63 percent of organisations are now testing, deploying, or have previously implemented AI code assistants.
AI code assistants provide for more capabilities than only code development and completion, notes the research firm.
According to Gartner, the use of AI code assistants can lead to higher work satisfaction and retention, resulting in lower turnover costs.
Philip Walsh, senior principal analyst at Gartner, comments: “Software engineering leaders must determine ROI and build a business case as they scale their rollouts of AI code assistants.
“However, traditional ROI frameworks steer engineering leaders toward metrics centred on cost reduction. This narrow perspective fails to capture the full value of AI code assistants.”
Gartner notes that software engineering leaders must “reframe the ROI conversation from cost reduction to value generations”.
Walsh adds: “Calculating time savings on code generation is a good place to begin building a more robust value story. To convey the full enterprise value story for AI code assistants, software engineering leaders should connect value enablers to impacts, and then analyse the overall return to the organisation.”
National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has said that the planned national ID card will be issued to applicants by their banks.
NIMC said it is working with the Nigerian Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) to deliver the cards to applicants.
“The card will be issued through the applicants’ respective banks in line with existing protocols with the issuance of the Debit/Credit cards,” the agency said at the weekend update on its official X handle.
KEY FACTS ABOUT THE PROPOSED NEW GENERAL MULTIPURPOSE NATIONAL IDENTITY CARD
- The new National ID Card is a single, convenient, and General multipurpose card (GMPC) , eliminating the need for multiple cards—not three.
- The single GMPC has multiple use cases:…
— NIMC (@nimc_ng) April 12, 2024
It said applicants need to request their cards with their NIN “through the self-service online portal, NIMC offices, or their respective banks”.
“The card will be powered by the AFRIGO card scheme, an indigenous scheme powered by NIBSS,” NIMC said.
“The card can be picked up by holders at the designated center or delivered to the applicants at the requested location at an extra cost to be borne by the applicants,” the update read.
National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has said that the new national Identity card, powered by AfriGo Card, is a single card with multiple services.
NIMC made the clarification against the confusion and criticisms that have trailed the AfriGo Card , touted as a National Domestic Card Scheme.
NIMC is launching the AfriGo Card, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigeria Inter-bank Settlement System (NIBSS), and has had appointed SecureID, a Lagos headquartered company to manufacture the Card Scheme
Making clarification on the card, Kayode Adegoke, head of Corporate Communications of the NIMC, said the General multipurpose card (GMPC) will eliminate the need for multiple cards.
“The new National ID Card is a single, convenient, and General multi-purpose card (GMPC), eliminating the need for multiple cards—not three.
“The single GMPC has multiple use cases: Payments/Financial, Government intervention/services, travel, etc.
“The National Identity Management Commission is working with the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian Interbank Settlement System to deliver the payment and financial use cases.
“The card will be powered by the AFRIGO card scheme, an indigenous scheme powered by NIBSS. Applicants for the card will have to request with their NIN through the self-service online portal, NIMC offices, or their respective banks.
“The card will be issued through the applicants’ respective banks, in line with existing protocols with the issuance of the Debit/Credit cards.
“The card can be picked up by holders at the designated centre or delivered to the applicants at the requested location at an extra cost to be borne by the applicants,” he said.
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