Rising cybercrime in Zimbabwe prompted the government to formally enact the Data Protection Act [Chapter 11:24] on December 3, 2021. Despite this focus, a recent survey by POTRAZ (Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe) shows that 80% of respondents still don’t understand what companies do with their personal information.
While recent developments in technology, coupled with the increasing sophistication of cybercriminals, have made data protection a top priority for businesses in Zimbabwe and worldwide, it remains important for industry role-players to develop and share solutions to this common challenge.
This is no longer about compliance, but a fundamental aspect of responsible business operations in the digital age. As organisations and individuals increasingly depend on cloud-based platforms such as Microsoft 365, for instance, there’s a need to recognise the ever-present data security risks and implement suitable safeguards to defend sensitive information. Through webinars such as the recent ‘Safeguarding Your Business-Critical Data in Microsoft 365’, hosted by Liquid Zimbabwe, industry specialists share their expertise and insights on this important topic, and provide actionable strategies for businesses looking to enhance their data protection measures. The aim is to empower businesses with the information needed to make educated choices about data protection, and to cultivate a culture of data security. The consequences of cybercrime can be devastating for a business. This includes financial losses, loss of sensitive data, damage to reputation, and legal consequences. In addition to being vigilant to potential threats, cyber security solutions offered by companies like Liquid are designed to ensure that companies continue operating secure in the knowledge that their data and systems are protected.
With over 500 million internet users in Africa, and cyber threats becoming increasingly sophisticated, businesses can no longer afford to be merely reactive in their approach to security. For example, in a world where people use smartphones for work purposes, including accessing their Microsoft 365 account to check emails, schedule meetings, and access documents on the go, phishing emails, disguised as legitimate messages, unknowingly grant criminals access. With this access, cybercriminals can potentially steal sensitive business information, such as client data, financial records, and intellectual property.
There are a number of steps that organisations can take to bolster their data protection measures:
- Data breaches can occur in any organisations. Irrespective of the size of the organisation, whether a small business or a large enterprise, business-critical data should be secured as a non-negotiable priority.
- Human error remains a significant factor in data breaches. This highlights the importance of comprehensive security training and awareness programmes for employees to minimise the risk of human-induced security vulnerabilities. For example, recognising that our staff are the first and best line of defence for any organisation, Liquid rolled out internal training in the form of controlled phishing campaigns. This helped ensure staff are alert and don’t open emails from sources that they don’t know or trust.
- Enabling multi-factor authentication and implementing data loss prevention policies are key to enhance security within platforms such as Microsoft 365. Also critical is importance of regular security audits and updates to mitigate emerging threats effectively.
- Encryption plays a key role in safeguarding data. By encrypting sensitive information, businesses can ensure that even if data is compromised, it remains unintelligible to unauthorised parties, thus providing an additional layer of protection.
- It is vital for organisations to control access to sensitive information. This extends to users and devices that are able to access certain types of information, levels of access and download permission, and protocols for sharing.
As we navigate the constantly shifting cyber security landscape, it’s essential to stay informed and proactive in our approach to data protection. By adopting these strategies, leveraging the latest technologies, and working together with data security providers, we can ensure that our most valuable asset – data – remains protected.
The recording of the webinar can be viewed here. Presenters are Yemurai Mombeshora, Head of Applications, Liquid C2 Commercial, and Kevin Ngalonde, Pre-Sales and Complex Solutions Specialist, Liquid Intelligent Technologies.
