By Alexis Kabeja · Chief Executive Officer at Liquid Intelligent Technologies Rwanda
Technology and innovation are tenets of Rwanda’s sustainable development as outlined in the country’s Vision 2050 strategy. The country is already established as one of the continent’s leading tech hubs, drawing the interest of international investors, start-ups, and entrepreneurs alike.
However, this technological enhancement also attracts the attention of cybercriminals. Rwanda is one of the highly targeted countries on the continent due to its fast-growing cyber-related technology, and this can negatively impact all facets of the country’s tech ecosystem, from government to corporations, small to medium enterprises, and even individual citizens. This constant rise and innovation in cybercrime require the need for protecting users and business-critical data.
The ease with which attackers exploit vulnerabilities should be cause for concern, not only for larger enterprises and organisations, but also for SMEs and startups. With the government’s commitment to advancing the digital agenda and transformation, building resilience to cyber threats, and ensuring that citizens and businesses in Rwanda benefit from trustworthy digital technologies has become more than just a good idea – it has become a vital imperative for Rwanda’s future.
This holds true for the wider continent, where cyber security is as crucial for economic growth as it is for safeguarding business operations. This was the driving force behind Liquid’s Cyber Security Fusion Centre matrix, leading to the launch of three centres in Africa to date. In addition to offering an extra layer of protection, the Fusion Centres provide African businesses and governments with access to threat evolution and security data across key markets. As the number of Fusion Centres increases, the battle against cybercrime in Rwanda and across Africa will be significantly strengthened.
The Rwandan government’s commitment to advancing the digital agenda and transformation is laudable. A big part of this effort involves building resilience to cyber threats and ensuring that citizens and businesses in Rwanda benefit from trustworthy digital technologies. To that end, both the private and public sectors must actively engage in educating businesses, organisations, and individual citizens about cyber security, as well as raising awareness about the potential dangers posed by the online space.
From a business perspective, it’s crucial to recognise that awareness and training in cyber security is not limited to rank-and-file employees alone. Cyber security requires buy-in at the very highest level and it can no longer be viewed as an isolated concern for IT departments. Cyber security best practices must be implemented right across the board to ensure that employees – a huge threat vector for cybercriminals – cannot be tricked into allowing malicious parties access to company data (through phishing or social engineering attacks).
Failing to educate employees put a business at risk of being breached, as they are a company’s best and first line of defence. It is in line with this that Liquid Intelligent Technologies conducts webinars and workshops to educate corporate personnel on cyber security.
Moreover, every enterprise, regardless of its size, must establish a formal cyber security framework aligned with its strategy and objectives. This requires continuous management and improvement of the technologies and systems, alongside the establishment of an Information Security Management System (ISMS) and resilience controls. Any business that is uncertain about its ability to mitigate cyber-attacks should employ the services of experts. Liquid, for example, offers a full 360-degree cyber security threat assessment for potential clients and tailors a strategy to meet their specific needs. The cost of a successful breach far exceeds the investment in ongoing cyber security. Additionally, with the increasing number of local and global regulations around data protection and security, there is an added cost of business reputation. Investing in a solid and dependable cyber security strategy might appear as an additional burden on the balance sheet. However, in a landscape marked by threats and trickery, cyber risk and business risk are now inextricably intertwined more than ever before. Rwanda’s growth depends on our awareness and implementation of cyber security. To pretend otherwise would be foolhardy.
