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Taking Enterprise Security to the Board

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Anton Jacobsz, managing director at Networks Unlimited
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It’s that time of year, again, with many companies busying themselves in the art of budgeting and forecasting for 2018.

 

In some companies, this means the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) having to communicate the importance of including enterprise security in this planning, using a language that the members of the board will understand.

 

“For some, this will mean being given a short amount of time to make sure a group of non-technical people understand the company’s business risks and believe that your plan to mitigate them is comprehensive, necessary and worthy of investment,” said Anton Jacobsz, managing director at Networks Unlimited.

 

“The keyword here is ‘business’ – we have got to translate our on-the-ground security concerns into business terms, risks and outcomes. We’re all very good at listing statistics but the ability to translate this into business outcomes, which is the language your board understands, is what will win the day.

 

“Your board’s time, attention span and ability to consume ‘geek speak’ is limited, but there are steps you can take to ensure the time you spend with them matters,” Jacobsz explained.

 

Time for a few home truths

Is your exco one of the many that thinks their organisation is not going to be of interest to cyber criminals? If yes, then it may be time to explain clearly that every single organisation, regardless of size or business focus, is likely to  experience a cyber security breach at one point or another. The reason for this is data.

 

If your business processes payments of any kind, for example salaries or online payments, or if you transmit or store records, or if you’re developing a cure for a dread disease like cancer, then you have information that a hacker can sell.

 

Ryan Kearney, Executive Vice President of Product Development and Chief Technology Officer of F5 Networks, advised that telling a compelling story about a security breach, preferably in your industry or locale, will help board members understand the risks here.

 

“Give examples from your own company. Identify critical information assets – intellectual property, sensitive customer data – and paint a picture of what would happen and what it would cost if they were compromised,” he said.

 

Use statistics to convince, not just frighten

There are ways to move the statistics conversation from one that leaves exco with a feeling of dread to one where they truly understanding the real potential impact to the enterprise.

 

F5’s Kearney says the following types of statistics could be used to educate and surprise board members:

 

  • 73 percent of companies suffered at least one security breach in the past year.

 

  • About a third of employees targeted for phishing will open fraudulent e-mails.

 

  • More than one in 10 take the bait – and it only takes one.

 

  • Less than two minutes can elapse from the hacker hitting send to your systems being compromised.

 

  • Hackers are inside your organisation, on average, for at least four months before they’re discovered.

 

  • Web apps are the number one entry point for breaches.

 

“As the C-suite leader in charge of cyber defence, it is up to the CISO to explain the impact of this to the board,” says Jacobsz. “This is the point where you should be talking in terms of tangible and intangible losses, which are sure to resonate with them.”

 

Tangible costs as a result of security breaches include fines as a result of breaks in customer SLAs, revenue losses due to downtime, compliance/audit fines, potential legal fees and incident response costs, which incorporate unplanned costs for hiring third party breach experts.

 

Less immediately obvious damage could include issues like the impact a breach could have on your company’s brand; existing and potential customer perception/loss; the loss of your competitive advantage and even the potential for the board’s personal reputation being affected.

 

Introduce security awareness to the company culture

If you talk of such things around the braai, you might have heard somebody complaining about how their company doesn’t allow Dropbox or Wetransfers – how archaic, right? Wrong, said Jacobsz.

 

“These policies are enforced because someone, somewhere along the lines, opened a mail, clicked on a Dropbox link and downloaded a file from an unknown, untrusted source resulting in a cyber security breach. But this can be avoided. A secure business is one where everyone is educated about threats and does their part to reduce risk.”

 

F5’s Kearney agreed, saying it starts with rigorous and repeated training and continues with individual buy in.

 

Furthermore, as a key participant in creating the company culture at the outset, the board members themselves must also be challenged to champion efforts that have no received budget approval, he said.

 

“You have done your homework and secured funds for some of your efforts but if you have risk areas that need addressing but have no budget allocation, board members need to know this and either accept the risk or champion a solution. There’s no better way to get something accomplished than by saying the board requested it get done.”

 

Discuss incident response and cyber insurance

 

As mentioned earlier, the likelihood of organisations remaining untouched by security breaches is minimal. Being prepared is the best line of defence, and employing the services of a good incident response firm is the first step.

 

The second is considering options in cyber insurance, which is the fastest growing insurance in the world and is projected to grow by 300 percent from $2.5 billion today in annual premiums by 2020. Here, show your work and do the maths for your board – calculate how much your business can absorb and insure the rest.

 

“Use your board-facing time wisely,” said Jacobsz.

 

“Make sure you prioritise and focus on the top cyber risks bringing solutions to the table. Above all, demonstrate your burning issues in small, easy to digest chunks. Do this and you and your boards will soon be singing in harmony and protecting the company at the same time.”

 

 


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OADC Lagos Reinforces Commitment to Local Data Hosting and Digital Transformation @ NDPC’s National Privacy Week Summit

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Open Access Data Centres (OADC) Lagos has reaffirmed its commitment to Nigeria’s data protection and digital transformation agenda through its sponsorship and active participation in the Nigeria Data Protection Commission’s (NDPC) National Privacy Week Summit.

The National Privacy Week Summit, organised by the NDPC, convened policymakers, regulators, technology providers, and industry stakeholders to promote data privacy awareness, strengthen compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA), and advance conversations around data security, sovereignty, and responsible data governance.

As a sponsor of the event, OADC Lagos demonstrated its continued support for the Federal Government’s drive toward local data hosting and data domiciliation, which are increasingly critical to safeguarding sensitive information, enhancing regulatory compliance, and building trust in Nigeria’s digital economy.

Through its carrier-neutral, Tier III Design certified data centre in Lekki, Lagos, OADC provides secure, resilient, and compliant infrastructure that enables government institutions and private sector organisations to host and manage data locally while meeting international best practices.

Commenting on the engagement, Adesola Adesugba, Country Marketing Manager, Open Access Data Centres Nigeria, said: “We are proud to have supported the Nigeria Data Protection Commission through the National Privacy Week Summit and to stand alongside the government in advancing Nigeria’s digital transformation objectives.

“Strengthening local data hosting and domiciliation is fundamental to national data sovereignty, improved security, and sustainable digital growth, and OADC Lagos remains committed to enabling this future.”

OADC’s participation at National Privacy Week Summit underscores its role as a trusted digital infrastructure partner to government and enterprise, supporting secure cloud connectivity, regulatory compliance, and the long-term development of Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.

Open Access Data Centres is part of the WIOCC Group and operates open-access, world-class data centres across Africa, serving cloud providers, network operators, enterprises, and public sector institutions.


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Kaspersky Launches OT Calculator to Align Cybersecurity Investments with Business Goals

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Kaspersky’s new online tool has been specially developed for industrial organisations to assess the potential costs associated with insufficient operational technology (OT) security.

By offering detailed financial forecasts, the calculator empowers senior management to make well-informed decisions regarding security investments.

Industrial organisations increasingly depend on interconnected systems, elevating cybersecurity to a critical factor in business resilience and profitability.

According to VDC Research, over 60% of industrial companies last year reported that cybersecurity breaches had led to significant costs. Despite this, a persistent disconnect remains between security teams and executive leadership as security professionals focus on minimising risk, while executives must balance cybersecurity concerns with broader business objectives. This misalignment often results in competing priorities and underfunded security initiatives.

To bridge this gap, Kaspersky has launched the OT Cybersecurity Savings Calculator, an innovative online tool designed specifically for industrial organisations to assess the potential costs of inadequate operational technology (OT) security¹.

The primary aim of this tool is to translate cyber risks into tangible financial metrics and support strategic discussions around priorities and budget allocation. By entering details such as their sector, sub-sector, region, company size, breach history, and existing cybersecurity measures, organisations can estimate their potential cost savings and receive customised, actionable recommendations.

The calculator benchmarks performance against industry peers and highlights the company’s position within the current threat landscape.

“We believe this calculator is a powerful resource for transforming complex cyber risk data into straightforward financial insights. It enables OT leaders, security professionals, and executive teams to develop clear, data-driven business cases and recognise the value of cybersecurity investments. With actionable guidance, it promotes a comprehensive approach to resource management and strengthens overall organisational resilience,” comments Andrey Strelkov, Head of Industrial Cybersecurity Product line at Kaspersky.


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Local App Developers Rake $1m in Sales in 2025- NOTAP

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National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) has said Nigerian software developers have reached significant milestones with locally made applications generating over one million Dollar in sales across domestic and regional markets.

Local App Developers Rake $1m in Sales in 2025- NOTAP

Dr Obiageli Amadiobi, director-general of NOTAP, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Thursday in Abuja.

Amadiobi said the development signified the growing strength of Nigeria’s digital innovation ecosystem and how local innovation powers digital growth.

She said it was also a direct outcome of targeted support initiatives led by NOTAP.

She added that the initiative helped to build capacity, protect intellectual property, and connect developers to market opportunities.

According to the NOTAP boss, the journey from concept to impact started with understanding and securing intellectual property (IP) rights, a step many local innovators missed.

“Whether it’s a literary work, a laboratory invention, or a creative digital product, the process of bringing an idea to life demands immense time, skill, and dedication.

“An innovator might wake up with a solution to a pressing problem; spend months testing and refining it and achieve remarkable results; so it is their fundamental right to patent that creation and claim ownership.

“Without this protection, someone else could easily replicate their work; patent it in their name; and legally control what was built with Nigerian brainpower,” she said.

Amadiobi said that the challenge was compounded by widespread digital piracy and counterfeiting, which hit the ICT sector hardest.

“From copied software applications to replicated content on social platforms like TikTok, unauthorised duplication has become a major barrier to growth.

“We see talented young creators develop unique digital content or tools, only to watch others rebrand and profit from their work within weeks,” she said.

The DG noted that most popular online personalities with distinctive styles often don’t realise they could protect their original contributions through IP registration.

She said that to address these gaps and unlock the value of Nigerian innovation, NOTAP implemented a multi-pronged strategy,- a cornerstone initiative – which is the Local Vendor Policy.

“The Local Vendor Policy mandates that foreign technology firms entering Nigeria partner with domestic counterparts,’’ she said.

Amadiobi said that among the performing apps are solutions addressing critical local challenges such as a mobile health platform that now serves 750,000 users across six states.

“There is also the agricultural marketplace connecting smallholder farmers to buyers; and an educational tool that has been adopted by 200 schools to improve learning outcomes,” she said.

She added that the apps were developed by teams that gained skills and resources through NOTAP’s Local Vendor Policy.

According to her, the policy requires foreign technology firms operating in Nigeria to allocate a portion of their technical service fees to local partners.

“Three years ago, many of these developers were only providing support services to foreign companies.

“But today, they are building their own products that compete globally. 60 per cent of last year’s sales came from other African countries, showing our developers can lead on the continent,” she said.

The D-G explained that the one million dollar figure represented sales from over 50 locally developed apps, with individual developers earning between 5,000 dollars and 80,000 dollars from their products.

“Looking ahead, NOTAP aims to double these sales figures by 2027, with plans to expand support to developers focusing on fintech, renewable energy management, and climate adaptation tools.

“These are the sectors identified as high-growth opportunities for Nigerian innovation,’’ Amadiobi said


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