Microsoft Annual Investment on Cyber Security R&D Hits $1Bn

Microsoft Corp will continue to invest over $1 billion annually on cyber security research and development, a senior executive said.

Karim Hanafy, sales director, Emerging Markets at Microsoft Corporation, who was speaking at a recent conference in Lagos tagged ‘Microsoft’s Exclusive Digital Transformation Conference’, said that the event was designed to share latest innovative technology trends and industry solutions with emphasis on Microsoft’s technology platform to improve the capabilities of businesses within Nigeria.

According to Hanafy, cyber criminals are becoming sophisticated in their operations, with different strategies being devised daily.

“Cyber attacks are becoming more targeted and more strategic. They usually send these malwares through emails and that has the capacity of making smart devices vulnerable”, he said.

He explained that that cloud is becoming the effective way all organisations should adopt to safeguard data and crucial information.

“Before now, some people were skeptical about saving on the cloud. Today the issue is different, most companies and organisations are beginning to show some level of confidence.

The Microsoft person emphasised that security usually an issue that is prone to vulnerability, however, posited that the US multinational has been more proactive in handling issues that involves security and confidentiality of data.

“The security of our client is a very key factor in our business, there not be a hundred percent guarantee but we have put everything in a strategic position to avert any form of insecurity. We invest a billion Dollars on research and development in relationship with cybersecurity”, he said.

Earlier this month Microsoft said it invested in Israel’s Team8, which created Illusive Networks.

Though Microsoft does not have any near-term plans to implement deception technology, “we look at lots of different technologies that might be of use in the future,” Microsoft Senior Executive Bharat Shah told Reuters.

Shah believes that in the next year or so progress should be made in moving toward broader implementation of user authentication without need for a password