Connect with us

E-Business

Galaxy Backbone Re-Iterates Commitment To ICT Service Delivery Across Agencies

Published

on

L-R Mr. Yusuf Kazaure, Managing Director/CEO Galaxy Backbone, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Director General, NITDA.
Kindly share this post

Executive management of Galaxy Backbone led by the Yusuf Kazaure, managing director/CEO,  recently played hosts to the leadership of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), last week, when they paid a courtesy call to the Galaxy Backbone Head quarters in Abuja.

It was a great opportunity for both agencies to share ideas on how they could use their unique roles as agencies of government, in driving the technology development of the nation.

In welcoming Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, director general for NITDA, Mr. Kazaure expressed delight at this visit to Galaxy Backbone which shows a commitment to working together to institute and deliver a more service driven technology experience to the government. The visit afforded him and his team an opportunity to also take a tour of Galaxy Backbone’s world class Datacentre and Network Operating Centre(NOC).

The Galaxy Backbone CEO, used this visit to share once again, the organisation’s role as the shared services provider to government agencies and the active work going on within GBB to ensure that government agencies experience world class connectivity and hosting services.

He also expressed his apologies on the poor service experience most agencies experienced in the last two weeks which was greatly caused by a fault experienced by one of the country’s international upstream service providers which affected internet services across the nation.

That has been completely resolved and all the agencies affected have been brought back to normalcy.

However, more proactive efforts have been put in place to ensure that such down time is never experienced in the future.

 In strengthening this, Kazaure stated that Galaxy Backbone would like to partner with NITDA to actively drive capacity building across government agencies to ensure full adoption of its services. He also praised the role NITDA is playing in crafting out policies and standards.

As an organisation committed to excellence in service delivery across all the agencies and institutions and the nation as a whole, Galaxy Backbone was recently recognized by the British Standards Institute (BSI), with the ISO 20000 certificate for excellence in service delivery. The DG of NITDA, while making his statements during this interaction, congratulated Galaxy Backbone on this worthy achievement and encouraged GBB to not rest on its achievements.

He also stressed the importance for both agencies to work together and collaborate more in order to take the technology experience in Nigeria to new heights; ‘we congratulate you on your recent attainment of the ISO 20000 Certification. I believe it is important that we work together to support each other in order to move the industry forward and deliver on our respective mandates to the nation’.

 While on the tour of Galaxy Backbone’s Data Centre & Operations Centre, Mr. Kazaure stressed again on the committed efforts of the organisation in ensuring that Data is hosted locally in Nigeria under a secure environment.

In line with the drive towards Data Sovereignty, GBB is poised to provide a hosting environment that guarantees the security of government’s sensitive Data. He also explained that processes are being improved within the organisation to ensure that government agencies and all other organisations that use the Galaxy Backbone infrastructure are assured of an excellent experience.


Kindly share this post

Nigeria CommunicationsWeek believes that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. So since 2007, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and how they affect lives.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Comments

E-Business

Microsoft Server Hack Likely Solo Actor, Thousands at Risk

Published

on

Kindly share this post

A widespread cyberattack targeting Microsoft’s (MSFT.O) server software used by thousands of government agencies and businesses for internal document sharing was likely orchestrated by a single actor, a cybersecurity researcher said on Monday.

Microsoft Server Hack Likely Solo Actor, Thousands at Risk

Microsoft issued an alert on Saturday warning of “active attacks” on on-premise SharePoint servers.

The company clarified that SharePoint Online, part of the Microsoft 365 cloud suite, was not affected by the exploit, which is considered a “zero-day” vulnerability due to its previously undiscovered nature.

“Based on the consistency of the tradecraft seen across observed attacks, the campaign launched on Friday appears to be a single actor. However, it’s possible that this will quickly change,” Rafe Pilling, director of Threat Intelligence at Sophos, a British cybersecurity firm.

That tradecraft included the sending of the same digital payload to multiple targets, Pilling added.

Microsoft said it had “provided security updates and encourages customers to install them,” a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

It was not clear who was behind the ongoing hack. The FBI said on Sunday it was aware of the attacks and was working closely with its federal and private-sector partners, but offered no other details.

Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Washington Post said unidentified actors in the past few days had exploited a flaw to launch an attack that targeted U.S. and international agencies and businesses.

According to data from Shodan, a search engine that helps to identify internet-linked equipment, over 8,000 servers online could theoretically have already been compromised by hackers.

Those servers include major industrial firms, banks, auditors, healthcare companies, and several U.S. state-level and international government entities.

“The SharePoint incident appears to have created a broad level of compromise across a range of servers globally,” said Daniel Card of British cybersecurity consultancy, PwnDefend.

“Taking an assumed breach approach is wise, and it’s also important to understand that just applying the patch isn’t all that is required here.”


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

E-Business

Flaw in Microsoft SharePoint Sparks Global Cybersecurity Concern

Published

on

Kindly share this post

A Microsoft SharePoint server software flaw is causing widespread concern across the global cybersecurity landscape, exposing thousands of organisations to hackers exploiting a new vulnerability.

This critical vulnerability exposes government agencies, universities, and energy firms who are at risk of cyberattacks. The flaw, now being actively exploited by unidentified hackers, allows attackers to gain deep, remote access to on-premise SharePoint servers.

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has confirmed that the vulnerability can enable malicious actors to access internal files, change configurations, and even execute remote code, effectively giving them high-level control over compromised systems.

Microsoft has also acknowledged the breach and released a security patch aimed at stopping the ongoing attacks. The firm urged users to apply the patch immediately, saying it is working to roll out additional protections, according to a statement reported by Bloomberg.

Despite these efforts, cybersecurity researchers warn that systems may remain vulnerable if attackers have already infiltrated networks, stolen authentication keys, or implanted persistent backdoors before patches were applied.

The United States hosts the highest number of these vulnerable systems, followed by the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

The Washington Post reported that the breach has already impacted a range of institutions, including U.S. federal and state agencies, academic institutions, energy companies, and a telecommunications firm in Asia.

This latest incident adds to a growing list of cybersecurity challenges facing Microsoft. In March, the company revealed that Chinese state-backed hackers had targeted its cloud-based services to infiltrate both U.S. and international organisations.

Last year, the U.S. Cyber Safety Review Board sharply criticised Microsoft’s internal security culture as ‘inadequate’ after a separate breach compromised its Exchange Online mail systems and exposed communications of high-level officials.


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

E-Business

NIMC Enrolls 122m for NIN, Cuts Extortion by 40 Percent

Published

on

Kindly share this post

National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has said that it has reduced incidents of extortion and unofficial charges in the identity enrolment process by over 40 per cent.

NIMC Enrolls 122m for NIN, Cuts Extortion by 40 Percent

Abisoye Coker-Odusote, director general of NIMC,

Abisoye Coker-Odusote, director general of NIMC, who disclosed this  at an event in Lagos at the weekend, attributed the drop to improved transparency in fee structure at the commission.

The CEO was represented by Lanre Yusuf, director, Information Technology and Identity Database, NINC.

The workshop, organised by the identity regulator in partnership with the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers, focused on repositioning Nigeria’s digital identity landscape and combating misinformation.

According to Coker-Odusote, the sharp reduction in illicit charges is a direct result of reforms introduced by NIMC to curb racketeering and unauthorised payments, which have for years plagued the national identity registration process..

“Enrolment for the National Identification Number remains free. We have standardised modification and authentication fees, and these are publicly disclosed. Our enforcement of a transparent fee structure has resulted in a 40 per cent drop in extortion and unofficial charges,” the regulator said.

She explained that prior to her assumption of office, complaints about exploitative fees at enrolment centres were widespread, fuelling public distrust in the system.

However, she noted that the commission had since prioritised transparency and stakeholder accountability, ensuring that Nigerians no longer have to pay above the legally mandated fees. “We are addressing deep-rooted issues that once undermined public confidence in the enrolment process,” she said.

The NIMC chief added that the commission had introduced digital tools to reduce human interference in the registration process.

These include the NINAuth mobile app, the Self-Service NIN Enrolment and Modification app, and Contactless Biometric Solutions, all designed to make the system more efficient, secure, and user-friendly.

Coker-Odusote also reiterated the commission’s commitment to inclusion, stressing that no Nigerian should be left behind in the country’s digital identity transformation.

According to her, over 7,167 front-end enrolment agents and partners have been revalidated and retrained to serve the public professionally, with strict monitoring mechanisms now in place.

In addition, NIMC has deployed grievance redress officers across all 36 states to handle complaints from Nigerians about enrolment centres and agents, with a 24/7 toll-free line available to report any misconduct.

The reforms are part of broader efforts by the Commission to build a unified, secure, and people-centred digital identity system that facilitates access to government services, financial inclusion, social protection, and national planning.

Coker-Odusote called on media partners to support the Commission in disseminating accurate information, countering misinformation, and raising awareness about the benefits of digital identity.

“We are asking our partners in the media to help us combat fake news and promote transparency in the identity ecosystem. We need to ensure every Nigerian understands their rights and knows that their identity is key to accessing opportunities and services,” she said.


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

Trending