This archive report was first published on 2 September 2021.
Published on September 2, 2021, a study by Liquid Intelligent Technologies revealed that 79% of Kenyan, South African, and Zimbabwean businesses attribute an increase in cybersecurity threats to the advent of remote working.
While 90% of IT decision-makers have accelerated their cybersecurity measures as more of their workforce shifts to digital platforms, managing user access to information, data loss and recovery, visibility and control of data, and compliance challenges remain top concerns for organizations.
Almost 80% of participating organizations noted a rise in cybersecurity threats over the past year, with data breaches like data extortion, data leakage, and data disclosure constituting 71% of cyber-attacks for Kenyan businesses.
South African and Zimbabwean organizations consider email attacks like phishing the most prominent digital threats, with 53% of respondents listing security and data protection as a major challenge in 2021.
The top cybersecurity concerns in 2021 included email attacks, web-based attacks, social engineering, malware, ransomware, and data breaches.
Notably, 96% of South African, 95% of Kenyan, and 75% of Zimbabwean businesses have increased their consumption of cloud-based services this year.
Ignus de Villiers, Group Head of Cyber Security at Liquid Intelligent Technologies, emphasized the importance of prioritizing cybersecurity in business conversations and establishing a comprehensive cybersecurity framework that addresses governance, risk, compliance, people, processes, and technology.
