Businesses have invested in too many solutions that work well on their own but don’t offer efficient security; exposing them to unforeseen risks, to fill this gap, Internet Solutions Kenya has introduced an enterprise security solution to help enterprises mitigate, secure and ensure continuity for businesses.
Dubbed the Proactive cyber security solution, the suite will enable businesses to ramp up their cyber security landscape through creating a safer and more secure cyberspace, establishing a coordinated approach to the prevention of cybercrime, ensuring operational compliance, skills development, business resilience and training.
According to Dr. Bright G. Mawudor – Head of Cyber Security at Internet Solutions, “The question for most businesses today is not what if a cyber-attack occurs, but when it will occur. While there has been growing appreciation of the significance of Cyber Security planning, this has set organizations into a state of panic, acquiring and spending on different solutions that fail to deliver holistically, a gap that Internet Solutions is looking to fill.”
The launch comes on the back of a November, 30th 2017 deadline set by the Central Bank of Kenya for financial institutions to implement new cyber security guidelines. Issued in August 2017, the guidance note on Cyber Security for the banking sector singles out the creation of a culture of ownership by the board and senior management, regular independent assessment and testing, and a collaborative approach between audit and risk to understand the cyber threat landscape.
The note further states that institutions should engage external consultants with sufficient cyber security expertise to assist in understanding their threat landscape, by carrying out an independent cyber threat testing at least once a year.
However, compliance and certification are not a solution to cyber threats even though they are good to have.
“For Kenyan businesses to achieve Cyber Security resilience, they will be required to carry out continuous security assessment and gap analysis to test the validity of their plans,” said Dr. Bright.
Locally, increased global IP traffic, and a growing consumer appetite for all things technology have increased unforeseen vulnerabilities for Kenyan enterprises. This has seen organizations that have not yet suffered a security breach content on the safety of their networks, while those affected have had to manage public trust thereafter, increasing the need to protect businesses from unforeseen vulnerabilities.
The traffic from wireless and mobile devices poses a big threat especially for the Kenyan market given the integration between mobile banking and mobile money systems. Firms therefore need a robust and strategic approach to adequately tackle enterprise security and continuous Cyber Security training for all their staff.
“Having a cyber security plan in place is noble, but its’ life line is in continuous security assessment, gap analysis and training to match the evolution of cyber attacks. To achieve compliance, an organization requires at least six weeks to put in place a functional cyber security strategy. Given the rush to beat the deadline for financial institutions, and the cost implication therein, it is necessary for businesses to start off by developing sound business continuity plans, which will augment the Cyber Security strategies.“