By Aslam Tajbhai, Head of Solutions at Data Management Professionals South Africa
As Africa’s digital economy rapidly grows, businesses across the continent are facing the challenge of securing data in an environment characterised by evolving cyber threats, unreliable connectivity and diverse regulatory frameworks.
One of the primary data-related challenges in Africa is the limited awareness and training around data governance and cybersecurity. Many regions still face significant gaps in both tools and technical expertise, making it difficult to build resilient digital ecosystems.
Cross-border data sharing presents further complexity, particularly around compliance and ensuring data sovereignty, meaning that organisations must be extremely cautious about where customer data is stored and processed.
The situation is worsened by rising cybercrime and ongoing connectivity issues, hindering digital transformation. Despite this, progress is evident as digital adoption grows. More countries are implementing data protection laws, businesses are investing in cybersecurity, and consumers and investors are insisting on better data privacy standards.
Due to inconsistent internet connectivity in some regions, hybrid backup solutions have become the go-to option for many African businesses. These solutions combine the reliability and speed of local backups with the security of off-site cloud storage, enhancing data resilience while being practical and cost-effective in bandwidth-limited environments.
Start by creating a local backup
This is why organisations should start by creating a local backup as their primary copy. Even if the internet connection is poor or completely offline, they can still back up critical data on-premises without disruption.
The cloud copy serves as a secondary off-site backup that syncs later to avoid bandwidth bottlenecks. Businesses can enhance this process with deduplication technology, which minimises data storage and transmission by sending only block-level changes to the cloud, thereby reducing bandwidth usage.
One key advantage is rapid recovery. In case of data loss, ransomware or hardware failure, local backup recovery is quick and does not depend on large data downloads from the cloud. Meanwhile, cloud backup serves as a strong safety net against site-level disasters like fire or theft.
Hybrid backup solutions provide African businesses with a balance of flexibility, localisation and control. In countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya, data sovereignty laws mandate that certain data, such as personal and financial information, remain within national borders. Hybrid solutions help organisations comply with these laws while maintaining performance and scalability.
Identify and segment sensitive data
Intelligent data classification tools enable businesses to identify and segment sensitive data based on its sensitivity and regulatory requirements. Highly sensitive data can be stored locally or within in-country data centres for compliance, while less sensitive workloads can be hosted in public clouds, benefiting from scalability, efficiency and cost optimisation.
Vendor partnerships are essential in enabling SMEs to adopt hybrid data protection strategies with confidence. These partnerships simplify the implementation process by offering ready-to-use solutions that do not require deep technical expertise or complex IT work, making advanced backup and recovery capabilities far more accessible.
SMEs can access enterprise-grade tools at lower costs through vendor-supported hybrid solutions. These often include built-in compliance features for regulations like South Africa’s POPIA, facilitating data governance across on-prem and cloud environments.
A major advantage is unified visibility. With a single dashboard, businesses can monitor backup status, security posture and data usage across their hybrid infrastructure. Vendors further strengthen these setups with essential security features, like encryption, automated backups and versioning.
Access to resources and expertise
Vendors often collaborate with skilled service partners to offer ongoing managed services, which are crucial for SMEs lacking in-house IT resources. These partnerships provide expert advice, system updates, and quick issue resolution, ensuring that hybrid environments remain secure, compliant and scalable.
Many businesses mistakenly believe that any backup solution will suffice. Effective backup is about more than just having a copy of the data; it requires a secure, scalable recovery strategy that’s structured and ready for any situation, especially in hybrid environments.
As African businesses continue their digital evolution, hybrid and cloud-native backup solutions are no longer optional but foundational. The future lies in intelligent, secure and compliant platforms that not only protect data but actively strengthen cyber resilience. By embracing these technologies with the right partners, organisations can safeguard their operations, support growth and build trust in an increasingly connected economy.
