Telecom
Sophos Unveils Workspace Protection for Hybrid Workforce and AI Risks
Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, today announced Sophos Workspace Protection, expanding its portfolio to help organizations secure hybrid work and govern the use of emerging technologies, including AI.
Sophos
Built around the Sophos Protected Browser, powered by Island, the solution enables organizations to protect applications, data, users, and guests wherever work takes place, while providing a unified approach to securing the modern workspace.
Rethinking Security for Hybrid Work
Traditional approaches to securing hybrid work, including deploying multiple cloud-delivered SASE and SSE solutions, often require significant infrastructure, specialized expertise, and ongoing operational overhead to deploy and manage.
These models can increase cost and complexity while still leaving gaps in visibility and control where modern work now happens.
Sophos Workspace Protection takes a different approach by securing the workspace directly, eliminating the need to backhaul traffic through centralized infrastructure.
This reduces the operational burden and cost while enabling protections that follow users, applications, their internet usage, and their data wherever they work, providing organizations at all stages of security maturity with a simpler way to secure hybrid work without added complexity.
At the core of Sophos Workspace Protection is the Sophos Protected Browser, powered by Island and purpose-built to seamlessly integrate with the Sophos Central platform.
With 85% of the modern workday now taking place in a web browser, the Sophos Protected Browser was developed to address security needs where modern work happens.
It provides organizations with visibility and control at the workspace level, helping them protect sensitive data, manage application access, and enforce policy directly within the browser.
By embedding security controls into a familiar user experience, Sophos Workspace Protection enables organizations to secure work across corporate and remote environments without disrupting productivity.
“Security teams are increasingly impacted by complexity, especially as hybrid work, SaaS adoption, and AI tools continue to expand the workspace,” said Mike Jude, Research Director at IDC. “Sophos Workspace Protection reflects a pragmatic shift in the market, delivering core SASE and SSE outcomes through an integrated, endpoint‑ and browser‑centric approach that simplifies deployment, reduces operational overhead, and helps organizations govern application and AI use without adding another layer of infrastructure.”
Governing Shadow IT and Shadow AI
As emerging technologies, including generative AI, become part of everyday workflows, organizations are increasingly challenged to understand how these tools are being used and what data is being shared through them. Recent research shows that more than half of employees worldwide now use AI tools at work, often before formal policies or controls are established, increasing risks associated with Shadow IT and Shadow AI.
By providing visibility and control at the workspace level, Sophos Workspace Protection helps organizations assess risk, enforce policy, and govern the safe use of emerging technologies across the hybrid workforce.
What’s Included in Sophos Workspace Protection
Sophos Workspace Protection is delivered as a flexible set of integrated components that organizations can deploy together or individually based on their security and operational requirements. The following components make up the Workspace Protection suite:
· Sophos Protected Browser: a Chromium-based secure enterprise browser, powered by Island, that provides controls over application usage, local data handling, and web filtering. It also integrates Sophos ZTNA for access to private web applications and supports SSH and RDP access for remote administration.
· Sophos ZTNA: a Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) component that provides secure, posture-based access to private applications by allowing only authorized users and compliant devices to connect while keeping applications hidden from the internet.
· Sophos DNS Protection: a cloud-delivered DNS security service that organizations can deploy to individual Windows endpoints as part of Workspace Protection. It provides an additional layer of web and phishing protection by blocking malicious or unwanted domains.
· Email Monitoring System: an email security add-on deployed alongside Google or Microsoft email services that monitors email traffic and provides additional detection of unwanted or malicious messages, including phishing.
Together, these components enable several key benefits and use cases for organizations securing modern, hybrid work environments.
“Sophos has long protected remote and hybrid workers with industry-leading endpoint and network security, but today’s work environments demand stronger governance of apps and data,” said Joe Levy, CEO of Sophos. “Many SASE and SSE solutions add complexity and operational overhead while still leaving gaps in visibility and control. By combining Island’s enterprise browser technology with Sophos’ security capabilities and the Sophos Central platform, we are helping organizations govern AI use, protect critical data, and secure hybrid workforces with a solution that is easier to deploy and manage.”
“Hybrid work shouldn’t mean tradeoffs between security and productivity,” said Mike Fey, co-founder and CEO of Island. “Island protects data, secures application access, and helps organizations safely embrace AI, all through the browser people already use. Integrating with the Sophos Central platform lets customers do that with less complexity and more confidence.”
Key Benefits for Organizations
Sophos Workspace Protection helps organizations secure distributed and hybrid workers, govern the use of emerging tools and services, including AI, and support fast, flexible access for contractors and partners. The solution also strengthens defenses against phishing, browser-based threats, and other attacks that target users in the modern workspace.
Airtel Nigeria has secured a fresh 10-year renewal of its spectrum licence from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), reinforcing the telecom operator’s long-term commitment to expanding broadband connectivity and improving digital access across the country.
The renewed licence covers Airtel’s spectrum holdings, which are critical to the delivery of voice and high-speed data services, providing regulatory certainty for continued investments in network expansion, capacity upgrades and improved customer experience.
According to the company, the renewal underscores confidence in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector and will support its ongoing efforts to bridge the country’s digital divide by extending quality connectivity to more underserved communities.
Sunil Taldar, chief executive officer, Airtel Africa, said the renewal provides the company with the confidence to continue investing in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
He said, “The spectrum renewal reaffirms our long-term commitment to Nigeria, our largest market. It gives us the certainty required to continue investing in network expansion, improve service quality and accelerate digital inclusion for millions of Nigerians.”
Taldar added that Airtel remains focused on expanding broadband access and supporting Nigeria’s digital economy agenda through sustained investments in telecommunications infrastructure.
He further said, “We appreciate the Nigerian Communications Commission and the Federal Government for their continued support in creating an enabling environment for investment. We remain committed to delivering reliable and affordable connectivity while contributing to Nigeria’s socio-economic development.”
Meanwhile, Industry observers said the licence renewal removes regulatory uncertainty and allows Airtel to pursue long-term capital investments, including the expansion of 4G and 5G networks, as demand for mobile data and digital services continues to grow across Nigeria.
The renewal comes as telecom operators continue to invest heavily in broadband infrastructure to meet rising data consumption and support government efforts to achieve Universal digital access.
Furthermore, It also aligns with the NCC’s objective of ensuring efficient spectrum management while encouraging sustained private sector investment in the country’s telecommunications industry.
Telecom
GSMA Supports Abuja Declaration on Meaningful Connectivity for Africa, Joins Partners to Launch ATLAS Umoja
The GSMA supports the Abuja Ministerial Declaration on Meaningful Connectivity for Africa by Ministers and Heads of Delegation at the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) Conference of Plenipotentiaries (CPL-2026), describing it as an important milestone in strengthening Africa’s digital future through evidence-based policy, investment and regional collaboration.
The Declaration commits African governments to advancing policies that promote meaningful connectivity, digital inclusion, technology-neutral regulation, resilient digital infrastructure and locally relevant digital services. It also reinforces the importance of collaboration between governments, industry and development partners to close the continent’s connectivity and usage gaps.
Throughout the conference, the GSMA has worked alongside governments, regulators and industry leaders to support these shared ambitions through practical policy engagement, evidence-based research and new collaborative initiatives designed to accelerate Africa’s digital transformation.
Speaking during the ATU-GSMA African ICT Regulatory Leaders’ Forum, policymakers and regulators explored how stronger evidence-based regulation, greater regulatory harmonisation and future-ready policy frameworks can create an enabling environment for investment, innovation and sustainable digital growth across Africa. Drawing insights from the GSMA’s Digital Africa Index, participants also examined future-ready approaches to satellite regulation, highlighting how technology-neutral licensing frameworks can support innovation while extending connectivity to underserved communities.
Caroline Mbugua, Senior Director, Public Policy, Africa, GSMA, said: “The Abuja Ministerial Declaration sends an important signal that African governments share a common vision for delivering meaningful connectivity through modern, evidence-based and investment-friendly policy. Its emphasis on digital inclusion, technology-neutral regulation, resilient infrastructure and stronger regional collaboration reflects the practical policy foundations needed to accelerate Africa’s digital transformation.”
Launching ATLAS Umoja AI
Supporting the ambitions set out in the Abuja Declaration, the GSMA, Nigeria’s Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Togo’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Transformation, Kenya’s Ministry of information, Communications and the Digital Economy, Namibia’s Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Benin’s Ministry of Digital Transformation and Innovation, Awarri, Zindi, Pawa AI and Mozisha today announced ATLAS Umoja AI –a new pan-African initiative to strengthen collaboration on African language AI.
Designed to complement national AI programmes, ATLAS Umoja will bring together governments, industry and researchers to share expertise, datasets and best practice, helping develop trusted, scalable AI that better reflects Africa’s languages, cultures and development priorities. The initiative aims to accelerate innovation, attract investment and scale African language AI across the continent.
The launch builds on the momentum of the newly established AI for Good Global Commission. Ministers from Nigeria, Namibia and Togo, who serve on the Commission, have committed to support Africa Umoja, demonstrating how African leaders are turning global ambitions for trusted and inclusive AI into practical regional collaboration.
Angela Wamola, Head of Africa, GSMA, said: “Africa’s AI future must reflect Africa’s own languages, communities and development priorities. ATLAS Umoja brings together governments, industry, researchers and innovators to build African language AI at scale. By making AI and digital services available in the languages people speak every day, the initiative will help tackle two of the biggest barriers to internet adoption – digital literacy and locally relevant content – supporting efforts to close Africa’s usage gap and expand meaningful connectivity across the continent.”
Dr. Bosun Tijani, Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy of Nigeria said:“Artificial Intelligence will be a defining technology for Africa’s future, but its benefits must be built on our own languages, cultures and knowledge systems. Nigeria is proud to have taken the first step through N-ATLAS and is equally proud to see that vision evolve into the continental ATLAS Umoja AI.
“By working together with governments, researchers and ecosystem partners across Africa, we can build AI that is more inclusive, locally relevant and accessible to millions of people, while strengthening Africa’s digital sovereignty and creating new opportunities for innovation, education and economic growth.”
Silas Adekunle, Founder & CEO, Awarri added: “Awarri is proud to support The ATLAS Umoja AI and contribute lessons from N-ATLAS, which has demonstrated what is possible when African language data, local technical talent and practical AI applications are brought together. This is an important opportunity to help build AI systems that work for African languages and communities.”
Celina Lee, CEO & Co-Founder, Zindi concluded: “Africa’s AI future will be built by the people who best understand its languages, cultures and communities. Through ATLAS Umoja AI, we have an opportunity to empower local researchers, data scientists and developers to solve meaningful challenges, strengthen national AI capabilities and ensure African language AI is developed by Africans, for Africans.”
Alongside the launch of ATLAS Umoja AI, the GSMA continued discussions with policymakers at the ATU Conference on future-ready regulatory frameworks, including satellite connectivity, spectrum policy and technology-neutral licensing.
Drawing on the GSMA Satellite Regulatory Playbook, discussions explored how modern regulation can encourage investment, expand meaningful connectivity and support the ambitions of the Abuja Declaration.
Together, the Abuja Declaration, ATLAS Umoja and continued collaboration between governments, regulators and industry represent an important step towards expanding meaningful connectivity, accelerating digital inclusion and supporting Africa’s digital transformation.
MTN Nigeria has warned its customers to disregard fraudulent online posts claiming the telecommunications company is offering “One Month Free Data for Old Subscribers.”
MTN
The company described the promotion as fake, stressing that it has no affiliation with the individuals or websites circulating the offer.
In a disclaimer issued to customers, MTN advised subscribers not to click on suspicious links or disclose their phone numbers, personal information or other sensitive details on third-party websites.
The company emphasised that it would never require customers to submit personal information on external platforms to claim data bonuses, rewards or promotional offers.
“Beware of fraudulent posts claiming that MTN Nigeria is offering ‘1 Month Free Data for Old Subscribers.’ This promotion is not from MTN and has no affiliation with us,” the company stated.
Screenshot
MTN urged customers to verify all promotional offers through its official communication channels before participating.
According to the company, all authentic promotions, products and services are announced only through its official website, verified social media platforms and the *180# shortcode.
The telecommunications operator advised customers to remain vigilant against online scams and avoid sharing confidential information with unauthorised persons or websites.
It reiterated its commitment to protecting customers from fraud while encouraging subscribers to rely solely on official MTN communication channels for accurate information.
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