General News
The Hidden Costs of IT Support
Opinion by Brent Flint
The price on the bottom line of your ICT maintenance contract is often not what you actually pay for support.
This is not because your service provider is billing inaccurately; in fact, it has more to do with costs incurred by your own organisation’s internal teams and structures.
Brent Flint, Middle East and Africa Services Executive at Dimension Data, points out that the bulk of support-related expenses fall outside the scope of traditional support offerings.
The goal should therefore be to reduce total cost of support by recognising and eliminating ‘hidden’ expenses, and not to cut down on externally provided services that you might later regret discontinuing.
Many vendors, many processes
One example of a hidden cost, says Flint, is the expense incurred in managing the support processes of different vendors.
“These processes are never the same for every service provider. So the more vendors you have, the more intricate your support environment is to manage. And the more complicated this management is, the more mistakes are made and the more downtime occurs which, in turn, drives up your operational costs. At the same time, your organisation would require more service vendor management, which means more work for your procurement department, more effort to keep up with vendor research, and more contract management and renewal complications – all of which add to your total cost of support.” By reducing the number of vendors in your environment, you can lower your total cost of support.
Which level of service?
“Some of these hidden costs are inversely related to the type of service contract you have in place,” adds Flint. “The simpler and cheaper the contract, the more costs are carried internally. For example, should an organisation decide not to buy a premium level of service but opt for a simple ‘break-fix’ service instead, a large degree of management is required on the business’ side to initiate and ensure the proper delivery of the service.
The internal support team would, firstly, need to be aware that a piece of equipment has malfunctioned, which implies the need for some form of monitoring as well as an internal help desk. The internal team would then have to determine if the equipment is under contract and, if so, with which service provider.
Again, this takes time and effort, and the more out-of-date or incomplete the organisation’s asset register is, the longer and more involved this tracking process becomes. “When the call to the break-fix service provider is then finally made and the new equipment is installed, the business still has to ensure that the equipment’s service to the organisation is restored and runs as smoothly as before.
The result of this is that businesses spend far more on ‘cheaper’ break-fix services than they realise. Using a service provider to restore equipment as opposed to delivering a simple ‘break-fix’ service might seem like it costs more, but the organisation would need far fewer in-house administration and engineering resources to ensure maximum business continuity.” Freeing up your internal support team by relying more on a service provider’s capabilities can lower your total cost of support.
On foreign shores
Another cost that’s often overlooked by international organisations is foreign service tax liabilities. Flint explains: “If a chosen service provider isn’t large enough to have billing entities in all the countries in which an organisation has a presence, it incurs a foreign tax liability for procuring services in those geographies. That’s a factor that many businesses forget.
Choosing a service provider with coverage in the countries in which you operate can lower your total cost of support. On the other hand, an area in which businesses tend to under-spend is in service entitlements. Best practice in determining which service levels you need is to categorise your locations by availability requirements.
The highest service level requirement might be for your data centres, which would need a 7x24x4 entitlement to ensure maximum uptime for business-critical systems and processes, whereas a satellite location might need only an 8x5xnext business day entitlement owing to the location’s lower importance to the overall business. When we do the location versus- support analysis with some of our clients, we often find that their service level coverage is not the right fit in many locations. In a few cases, the service level may be set too high but, more often than not, organisations have opted for cheaper options with less support than they really need.” Right-sizing the service level to the requirements of the location can lower your total cost of support.
Short on skills
One of the most important reasons why organisations need external support services is because they lack the required in-house technical skills.
Exacerbating this problem is the general shortage of technical skills worldwide, as well as the more pronounced lack in developing geographies into which international organizations might want to expand.
Flint believes, however, that the most impactful factor contributing to skills shortage is the pace of technological change. Given the day-to-day pressures of in-house IT support teams in ensuring maximum business continuity, not much time or budget is left to channel into up skilling employees on the latest advances.
“For example, when IP telephony first emerged, there was a distinct lack of expertise and knowledge in this particular area,” says Flint.
“The same would probably be the case as the market moves towards adopting the new software-defined network approach. Knowledge and expertise can only be gained over time and, therefore, always lag behind the introduction of new technologies. The problem is also that the variety of different technologies involved in organisations’ estates is so wide that they simply can’t afford to skill up each time there’s a change or new development in the market.” Using shared, skilled resources of a service provider can lower the total cost of support.
Global scale
While certain smaller, often localised, service providers may be able to offer some of these proactive components, Flint believes large, multinational organizations would do better to consider partnering with a global support provider that can offer several such elements in combination and at scale, which would save costs.
“Most importantly, the service provider should be able to deliver these services consistently and reliably around the globe.” If you’re a large, multinational organisation, leveraging a global service provider’s scale can lower your total cost of support.
Whichever of these steps you choose to lower your total cost of support, these choices will deliver a simpler, more consolidated and more proactive overall support environment, with fewer hidden costs to think about.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has partnered with the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) to deploy advanced space and geospatial technologies in investigations and asset management.
Ola Olukoyede, executive chairman of the EFCC,
The move is expected to deepen transparency, strengthen asset recovery and curb economic sabotage according to a statement by Dele Oyewale, head, Media and Publicity, EFCC.
He said that the partnership was formalised through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Thursday in Abuja
The agreement is aimed at strengthening inter-agency collaboration, particularly in the areas of investigations, asset tracking and fraud risk assessment, marking a new phase of cooperation between the anti-graft agency and Nigeria’s space research and regulatory authority.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ola Olukoyede, executive chairman of the EFCC, described the agreement as a practical demonstration of the power of collaboration among government agencies.
He noted that closer cooperation would make it easier for institutions to effectively deliver on their statutory mandates.
According to Olukoyede, the MoU clearly defines the responsibilities of both agencies and establishes a framework for sustained cooperation.
He disclosed that a special monitoring and implementation team would be constituted to ensure the effective operationalisation of the agreement and to periodically review its impact.
“We will put a team together that will monitor the operationalisation of this MoU and also review the effectiveness of the platform from time to time.
“When agencies work together in the spirit of collaboration, it not only enhances efficiency but also encourages other ministries, departments and agencies to explore similar partnerships in the overall interest of national development”, he said.
Explaining the specifics of the partnership, the EFCC chairman said NASRDA would provide advanced technological tools to boost the Commission’s investigative capacity and asset tracking, while the EFCC would deploy its expertise to support the agency in fraud risk assessment.
“We will support you in the area of fraud risk assessment, and you will support us in promoting our investigative capacity.
“Where our eyes cannot get to, with the aid of your technology, we will be able to get there”, Olukoyede said.
He noted that the collaboration would be particularly beneficial to investigations into illegal mining activities, which have been linked to economic sabotage and rising insecurity in parts of the country.
“With the technology you are going to support us with, we will be able to identify some of these areas,” he added.
Olukoyede further expressed optimism that the partnership would significantly enhance the EFCC’s asset management processes, stressing that asset recovery remains one of the core pillars of the Commission’s mandate.
He explained that recovered assets are scattered across the country and exist under different legal statuses, including interim and final forfeiture.
“In some of these places, we may not have enough personnel to physically secure the assets. But with your support, we will be able to deploy geospatial technology and asset tagging devices to monitor both movable and immovable assets in a transparent and accountable manner”, he said
In his remarks, Matthew Adepoju, director-general and chief executive officer of NASRDA, welcomed the partnership, describing the MoU as a major milestone in the pursuit of justice and regulatory compliance within Nigeria’s space ecosystem.
Adepoju stressed that space-related activities are strictly regulated in developed economies and should be treated with similar seriousness in Nigeria, particularly in view of the potential misuse of satellite assets.
“You cannot go anywhere in Europe, continental America or the Far East and be doing business in the space ecosystem without the country ensuring that you are doing the right thing.
“We know for a fact that some satellite assets are being used negatively in driving insecurity in the country”, he said.
He also raised concerns over the use of satellite-mapped data on Nigeria’s natural resources to aid illegal activities, especially illegal mining, which he identified as one of the drivers of insecurity.
DalaHill Law Practice and the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) have signed a Mutual Accountability Framework (MAF), marking a milestone in the launch of a climate finance initiative funded by the African Climate Foundation (ACF) and valued at US$100,000.
According to a statement by the firm, the signing took place during a kickoff ceremony at the BoA headquarters in Abuja and formalised the roles, responsibilities and shared commitments of both institutions in delivering the project. The framework was signed by Ayo Sotinrin, BoA Managing Director, and Mohammed Hamza, Managing Associate at DalaHill.
The ACF-funded initiative is designed to support BoA’s institutional transition towards climate-aligned agricultural finance. Central to the programme is the establishment of a Clean Energy Delivery and Innovation Unit (CEDIU), a dedicated function that will integrate climate risk considerations, environmental data and sustainability principles into the bank’s strategy, operations and investment decision-making.
Under the initiative, BoA will also be supported to develop Clean Energy Access Systems and Climate Finance Development Frameworks, alongside a pipeline of bankable, climate-aligned agricultural projects.
These projects are expected to attract domestic and international capital into the sector, contributing to efforts to bridge Nigeria’s estimated $247.3 billion financing gap for its green energy transition.
Speaking on behalf of DalaHill, Mohammed Hamza described the initiative as a pivotal intervention in Nigeria’s agricultural and climate finance landscape. He said the firm is acting as a trusted adviser, working with institutions to deliver catalytic and transformative solutions.
According to him, DalaHill is deploying a multidisciplinary technical team to support BoA’s transition into a climate-aligned institution capable of attracting finance for scalable, investment-ready agricultural projects.
He highlighted the strategic importance of the project, noting that while ACF has traditionally focused on renewable energy, climate alignment within the agricultural sector is critical to driving Nigeria’s broader energy transition. He added that the initiative represents ACF’s first climate finance grant promoting agriculture in Nigeria.
In his remarks, Sotinrin expressed appreciation to the project partners and acknowledged longstanding gaps within Nigeria’s agricultural finance ecosystem. He reaffirmed BoA’s commitment to driving systemic change by attracting climate-aligned expertise, strategic funding and increased national and international attention to the sector.
Sotinrin also noted that the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s climate and sustainability agenda, referencing Nigeria’s participation at an ongoing global climate sustainability conference in Abu Dhabi.
He further highlighted strong government backing for BoA’s transformation, including presidential approval in October 2024 of a US$1 billion recapitalisation plan aimed at strengthening the bank’s capacity to support national development.
DalaHill Law Practice is a full-service commercial law firm headquartered in Abuja, with a strong track record in advising on economically catalytic projects across sectors including energy, infrastructure, finance, trade and emerging markets.
The firm is known for structuring complex transactions, managing regulatory risk and supporting projects that promote sustainable growth and long-term economic impact in Nigeria and beyond.
Kaspersky’s new global research reveals that 65% of online shoppers believe they can detect fraud on their own, while only 42% actually use security software to protect their payments and block malicious links.
Experts consider this a major risk for online buyers. Over the past year Kaspersky identified nearly 6.7 million phishing attacks globally impersonating online stores, payment systems, and banks, with 55.6% targeting online shoppers.
As the post-holiday and summer sales season kicks off, Kaspersky conducted a survey to examine consumer cybersecurity practices employed during online shopping. The findings show that 97% of respondents demonstrate a substantial level of awareness of online security risks and implement at least some measures to safeguard their digital transactions.
However, the survey found that fewer than half the participants use dedicated security software to block phishing attempts and protect payment transactions. This concerning trend is particularly pronounced among the 55+ year old generation, with only 32% of respondents in this age group actually using security software when making online purchases.
The most commonly adopted security protocols include being vigilant about potential warning signs, such as suspicious hyperlinks or unusual website design (65%) and verifying seller authenticity (62%).
Kaspersky experts emphasise that while these practices are essential protective measures for online shopping, they constitute only foundational protection strategies rather than the comprehensive fraud prevention provided by a security solution.
Other steps that could protect online shoppers, like using a separate credit card for digital purchases or using a separate email address to register with unfamiliar online shops, were chosen by 33% and 26% of survey participants, respectively.
Meanwhile, 30% claimed to consult with friends and relatives before making a purchase. Interestingly, this option is highly popular among the younger generation, with 37% opting for it, while it is less common among older people (21%).
“Throughout the year, we’ve observed that online shoppers have consistently been one of the most desirable targets for scammers. During sales periods, their scams can become even more pervasive. Staying vigilant is crucial, but protecting yourself requires more than just awareness.
It is particularly concerning how scammers are now using AI to craft more sophisticated, targeted phishing attempts that are increasingly difficult for regular users to recognise,” comments Olga Altukhova, Senior Web Content Analyst at Kaspersky.
Sales seasons are peak times for scammers. To protect yourself against emerging threats, implement the following security practices:
– Don’t save your full credit card details on websites unless absolutely necessary.
– Consider using a separate debit card specifically for online purchases and set up transaction alerts on your bank and credit card accounts.
– Be extra cautious of “flash sales” that seem too good to be true. Watch out for websites that pressure you into making quick decisions, and be wary of sellers who refuse returns or exchanges.
– Use different passwords for each online account and enable two-factor authentication wherever possible.
– Apply a security solution with a strong anti-phishing component. For instance, Kaspersky Premium received the annual ‘Approved’ certification from the leading testing lab AV-Comparatives in 2025 for detecting 93% of phishing URLs, demonstrating outstanding anti-phishing capabilities, powered by AI technology.
– Scammers constantly evolve their methods, so staying informed about new phishing techniques can help you recognise and avoid them. The Kaspersky Security blog will help you keep your finger on the pulse of emerging cyberthreats.
The study was conducted by Kaspersky’s market research center in November 2025. A total of 3000 respondents from 15 countries (Argentina, Chile, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates) took part in the survey.
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