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Chinenye Anuforo
The group managing director, Comercio Limited, Aderonke Adeyegbe, has said that privacy and security concerns are the main barriers to the adoption of public cloud in Nigeria.
According to her at the company’s flagship programme International Cyber Security & Cloud Conference in partnership with eFortresses CloudeAssurance & HISPI, with the theme “The Business of Cyber Security and Cloud in 21st Century Nigeria,” it is easy to demonstrate the benefits of cloud for businesses: it reduces the number of IT resources organisations have to maintain in-house; it allows them to scale their infrastructure to match user demands, and it cuts waste and saves costs on processes.
But, she explained that uncertainty over privacy and security is such a big issue for many organisations, that it outweighs the gain.
She said, “Nigeria is in the thick of a global shift towards cloud-based systems. Thanks to an increasing reliance on digital technology, we are generating huge amounts of data. Businesses are finding that they are producing so much of it that they can no longer store or process it all in-house. They are solving this problem by turning to the cloud, with its shared platforms and off-site storage infrastructure.
But as we all know, there are problems with this system. The cloud, just like every other technology, is vulnerable to attack. Concerns about cybersecurity have made many businesses reluctant to move to the cloud. Their fears are not misplaced.”
The Comercio GMD pointed out that in 2018, according to the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), it is projected that cybercrime could cost the world $2 trillion annually by the end of 2019. These losses are expected to come from the damage and destruction of data, stolen money, theft of intellectual property, personal information, and financial data, and attacks on business processes, just to mention a few.
Also Adeyegbe noted that in its 2019 Cyber Security Outlook for Nigeria, accounting services organization Deloitte pointed out that the ongoing movement of businesses to the cloud increases cybersecurity threat. “But what is it about the cloud that makes it a target for cybercriminals?
The answer lies in the nature of the cloud itself. Because it emphasizes shared platforms and remote storage and processing, individuals and businesses have less control over the material they house on it. Their financial records, vital personal information, and other sensitive data may be located on a platform that can be accessed by others.
Continuing, she said the commercial and public sectors struggle to deal with these challenges. “They still lag behind much of the world in terms of the quality and coverage of IT infrastructure. IT services providers are helping to bring these sectors closer to global technology norms. But their efforts are hampered by deficits in human capital and physical infrastructure.
Comercio Limited is tackling this head-on with its training and certification programs. Through this means, we are equipping corporate professionals with the technical knowledge they need to manage IT infrastructure.
