A cybersecurity expert, Dr Adebola Folorunso, has urged entrepreneurs to be proactive in cybersecurity practices in their businesses otherwise they fall victim to cyberattacks.
Folorunso gave the advice while delivering a virtual lecture during a workshop on Cybersecurity Best Practices for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), organised by Knowledge Aid Initiative (KAI) in collaboration with Cyberspace Community Association of Nigeria in Ibadan on Saturday.
She said that cybersecurity should not be made an after thought by any serious business owners in order for such people not to regret their actions in future.
The expert, who is the co-founder of Absolute Solution Technology, said cybersecurity had become a necessity in today’s digital era for every business, irrespective of its scale.
She said that it was important for business owners to implement technological measures and practices to protect their systems, networks, and data from cyber crimes, damage, or unauthorized access.
According to her, SMEs play a significant role in most economies and are key contributors to job creation and economic growth and must therefore implement measures to prevent, detect, and respond to cyber threats.
“One might mistakenly think that cyber attackers would only target large corporations or government agencies; however, the realities are quite contradictory.
“SMEs are becoming increasingly targeted due to perceived weaker online security and other reasons,” she said.
The expert said that cybersecurity was crucial for SMEs based on the high risk and potential impact of cyberattacks, which could result in financial losses, damage to brand reputation and loss of customer trust.
Folorunso said that implementing effective cybersecurity measures could be challenging for SMEs owners due to lack of financial resources to invest in advanced security measures or to hire dedicated cybersecurity staff.
She said that there are various strategic measures that could be taken by SMEs owners to improve their cybersecurity posture that would not require huge finance.
Folorunso listed those measures to include regular risk assessments to identify and address vulnerabilities in their IT systems, regular training of employees, regular update of software and hardware among others.
She said that outdated systems are often targets for cyberattacks and many cyber attacks leverage known vulnerabilities in software, some of which have been patched by the software vendor but not applied by the user.
The expert said that every organisations should try as much as possible to prevent, detect and respond to cybersecurity in order to tackle cyber attacks and threats.
She said that cybersecurity should not be a one-off solution but a continuous process and essential for the longevity and success of SMEs.
“Stay vigilant, invest in the right tools, engage in regular training, and enforce strong guidelines,” she advised.
Also speaking, the Chief Executive Office, Cherithpoint Education and Youth Development Initiative (CEYDI), Dr Olajumoke Akere, urged small businesses and educators to prioritize cybersecurity.
Akere said that adopting best practices to secure sensitive data and maintain operational integrity was crucial for the survival of any business.
Another expert Oyewale Oresanya told The Guardian that it is important that Nigeria focuses on breeding a new crop of cybersecurity experts that could bridge the noticeable talent gap in the country. His efforts have been dedicated to providing information and access to helping people switch careers into tech.
“We want to provide readily actionable and digestible information ready to people,” Oresanya told The Guardian. “We want to contribute to raising a band of tech dedicated problem solvers. Providing the right information is key to doing that.”
Oresanya insisted that talent gap is important challenge in the country that should not be overlooked, noting that available talent pool are not enough to protect the digital infrastructure. “It is not about having talent, it is about having enough talented hands that can do the job adequately and protect whatever infrastructure we have.”
Also speaking, the CEO of Knowledge Aid Initiative (KAI) Dr. Success Ojo, advised SMEs owners operating online to be cautious and observe some level of cybersecurity measures in order not to be a victim of cyber attack.
Ojo said that creating awareness on cybersecurity issues must be the responsibility of all and sundry for the good of the society because attackers and scammers are not relaxing and always full of different strategies.
She said that it was important for online business owners to implement necessary measures that would enable them to safeguard their businesses, earn customers’ trust and prevent loss.Oresanya insisted that talent gap is important challenge in the country that should not be overlooked, noting that available talent pool are not enough to protect the digital infrastructure. “It is not about having talent, it is about having enough talented hands that can do the job adequately and protect whatever infrastructure we have.”
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