Data Breaches Top List of Security Concerns for Nigerian CIOs

Emma Okonji

The consequences of security breaches from data attacks have become something of great concern to Chief Information Officers (CIOs) of organizations, as they look to navigate an increasingly complex threat and regulatory landscape.

This is according to the Enterprise Security Trends in Nigeria survey, conducted by IDC and commissioned by Microsoft, which highlights the latest cloud security developments in Nigeria. 

According to the IDC survey, 72 per cent of organisations in Nigeria have increased security budgets by 10 per cent or more over the last few years. This is not only the result of accelerated cloud adoption levels, but also increased awareness of security in senior management and rising new threats. 

The research reveals that the pace of enterprise-wide cloud adoption is rapidly increasing as business leaders look to ensure flexibility, agility and business continuity throughout their daily operations. Almost half of organizations surveyed, which is about 41 per cent, said they will be using a combination of on premises and cloud solutions in just two years’ time. Already, six per cent of organisations prefer to use the cloud; and this number is expected to grow to eight per cent over the next two years. This increased adoption speaks to the confidence companies have in cloud solutions as they prepare to navigate a post COVID-19 world.

According to the survey, data hackers have noticed that more data is being processed in the cloud and there’s been a noticeable increase in cyberattacks.

“FBI ranked Nigeria 16th among the countries most affected by cybercrimes in 2020. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic forced more people to learn, work, shop, bank and connect online than ever before. More devices, networks and connection points have resulted in the expansion of the threat surface, bringing the need for a robust security strategy to the fore. 

“Security remains a major focus for Nigerian organizations with around 61 per cent of companies prioritising endpoint security solutions as endpoints increasingly move beyond the enterprise core. Another 41 per cent are implementing VPNs and virtual desktop infrastructure to secure remote workers. In line with the growing threat of phishing and ransomware, half of organisations are deploying identity and access management (IAM) solutions,” the survey report said.