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3 Opportunities Covid-19 Created for the Internet Industry

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The Internet is one of the industries that felt the pandemic’s effect in full-force, as it had to withstand the sudden surge of users to the online space.

3 Opportunities Covid-19 Created for the Internet Industry

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That said, alongside the difficulties it posed, the unforeseen circumstances have simultaneously paved the way for increased network security, accelerated IoT adaptability in supply chains, as well as significantly pushed cloud adoption across a multitude of sectors.

Vincentas Grinius, CEO at IPXO, and Žilvinas Vaičkus, head of Infrastructure at IPXO, have elaborated on these prospects and how they will continue to shape the industry.

Security patch-up

The pandemic brought along a staggering wave of cyber threats: spikes in e-mail and phishing scams, a 400 percent jump in RDP (remote desktop protocol) attacks, personal account hacking, and re-selling via the dark web, and others.

While this undoubtedly raised a lot of red-flags as to how novel threats could be mitigated, it also exposed gaps that were previously overlooked or simply deemed non-priority.

This called market players to fortify their security measures, as well as patch up old frailties, for a well-rounded cyber resilience.

“The growing intensity of malware attacks quickly exposed all of the underlying security gaps that have been previously neglected. This was a wake-up call for many, showing that cybersecurity is not one of the things you can compromise on,” said V. Grinius.

“We’ve noticed the surge of attacks too but they were halted in their tracks, as we continuously enhance our safeguards. Now, with more companies re-evaluating and upgrading their security, the network went through sort of a patch-up, which will also help to navigate through the risk landscape going further.”

Ž. Vaičkus noted the situation paved the way for embedding cybersecurity knowledge into the company culture, which will help uphold higher security standard hereafter.

“It has become an ‘all hands on deck’ situation, showing that cybersecurity is not exclusively dependent on chief information security officers, rather the entire team. Especially when the majority of it is working remotely,” said Mr Vaičkus.

“At-home systems usually have fewer security layers, which makes it easier for hackers to breach the company’s network. However, if employees are aware of the most common scams, they usually think twice before opening any documents from suspicious senders, which significantly minimizes external risks to the network.”

Fast-track IoT adoption

In April, disturbances across the global trade supply chains were a clear indication that the world was still trying to understand the true extent of the pandemic and how to adapt to continue business as usual.

With factories idle and the majority of the workforce in lockdowns, minimizing the need for human capital to maintain operations encouraged to step on the gas in terms of IoT integrations.

With near real-time asset management, increased efficiency, and enhanced employee safety, IoT could be key for retailers to succeed in the post-pandemic world.

“Over the past few months the pandemic accelerated IoT integration by at least a year’s worth of progress,” said V. Grinius.

“Looking ahead, the flexibility and efficiency smart supply chains offer will help guarantee a higher-level of reliability and enable to better withstand market volatility, as well as keep employees safe till it all dials down. Without the circumstantial push, we would not have seen such a rapid transformation process.”

Multi-sector cloud adoption

Cloud computing emerged as one of the few lifelines for struggling businesses: some experts say it saved half of the vendors from complete collapse.

It enabled office workers, heavily-reliant on remote system access and video conferencing, to continue work from home.

Retailers, on the other hand, used the technology to deal with the e-commerce boom, as customers turned their heads to online shopping.

Even the healthcare sector embraced cloud solutions to better protect patient data.

“Cloud adoption was already on the rise before COVID-19 hit – but this certainly gave it an extra push,” noted Ž. Vaičkus.

“More importantly, the benefits were recognized across a multitude of different industries, which may not have had cloud integrations in their checklist any time soon. The widespread adoption of cloud will not only help mitigate some of the pandemic pressures but will also fuel faster advancement later on, which is crucial for everyone aiming to thrive post-COVID.”

 


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E-Business

TD Africa Dangles Discounts on Mercury Inverters

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In response to Nigeria’s epileptic power supply and the need for a cost-effective back-up, TD Africa, the authorised distributor of Mercury Inverters on the continent, is encouraging Nigerians to take control of their power needs with a discounted offer on all Mercury inverters.

This offer will not only reduce overdependence on the exorbitant fuel-powered generating option widely used, but also offer a seamless and uninterrupted power supply while cutting operational cost by more than 50%.

“Mercury Inverters are a game-changer for Nigerians seeking to overcome the challenges of frequent power outages,” said Toyin Adeniji, TD Africa’s Business Manager for Mercury Inverters.

According to her, the inverters exceptional performance, durability, and affordability, makes it a reliable and sustainable solution that can enhance both personal and business productivity.

TD Africa’s move to discount these Inverters will make the product accessible to more  Nigerians, providing an affordable and reliable power backup option that promises to improve the overall quality of life for individuals and businesses.

The inverters which come in 10KVA and 7.5KVA with a 120V, also contribute to environmental sustainability by minimizing carbon emissions.

While this discounted offer is for a limited time, how to take advantage of this offer can be obtained at  [email protected].

 


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FG to Train 5, 000 Data Protection Officers

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Federal government has granted the Institute of Information Management permission to conduct examinations and certify data protection specialists on a local level.

FG to Train 5, 000 Data Protection Officers

As the demand for data management grows throughout Africa, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Youth Development has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) to train 5,000 Nigerian youths to become data protection specialists.

The agreement is part of the NDPC’s ambition to create 10,123 data management related jobs in Nigeria.

Dr. Vincent Olatunji, CEO of the NDPC, stressed the growing demand for data protection officers in Nigeria during the signing event.

He stated that there are a large number of data controllers in the country, each of which must have at least one data protection officer.

According to the government, young people can now pursue data management careers and fill expected new roles in the ecosystem.

Olatunji also stated that the NDPC has granted the Institute of Information Management permission to conduct examinations and certify data protection specialists on a local level.

He stated that the goal of this move is to improve local knowledge while also reducing the foreign exchange expenses connected with international training.

“In addition, the certification provided by our in-country body will carry global recognition, ensuring our professionals are competitive on the international stage,” he explained.


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Kaspersky Warns that Scammers Hide Phishing Links behind Images

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At the end of August, Kaspersky experts discovered a phishing campaign with an unusual attack vector – through an image. This scam targeted organisations in the fields of online retail, distribution, transportation, and logistics. The cyber attackers aimed to steal corporate email credentials from potential victims.

Within the phishing scheme, the cyber attackers send emails in English, allegedly on behalf of a South Korean company. Pretending to be employees of this organisation, the cybercriminals email about sending instructions to their bank for transferring a payment.

They ask potential victims to check the details in the scanned document, which is added to the body of the letter. According to the legend, this must be done quickly in order to receive payment as soon as possible.

“The image in these phishing emails is poorly visible – this is what the attackers are counting on. Even if a person does not expect an email, he may be interested in looking at the details. However, in reality, the image hides a phishing link.

If the users click on the scan, they will be redirected to a fake resource that mimics a file sharing service from Adobe. There, they will be asked to enter the credentials for a corporate email account to gain access to the document.

However, this should never be done, otherwise this information will go to the cybercriminals,” comments Roman Dedenok, a cybersecurity expert at Kaspersky.

To avoid becoming a victim of such phishing attacks, Kaspersky recommends that users do not trust emails from unknown mailboxes, especially when it comes to confidential data, financial transactions and suspicious attachments, even if it visually looks like the email came from an organisation with a good reputation.

Kaspersky also recommends that companies install a reliable security solution that will automatically send such emails to spam, such as Kaspersky Secure Mail Gateway, and also regularly conduct cybersecurity training for employees, teaching them how to recognise social engineering techniques, for example, using the Kaspersky Automated Security Awareness Platform.

 


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