Distributed vulnerability: Planning for a secure business future
The global average cost of a data breach in 2020 was $3.86 million. It took an average of 280 days to identify and contain a breach. And 52% of data breaches were malicious. These are just some of the unnerving statistics to come out of the annual Cost of Data Breach Report 2020 from IBM and the Ponemon Institute, and these statistics are not alone. The Verizon 2020 Data Breach Investigations Report revealed that 70% of breaches were external, 86% were financially motivated and 27% were attributed to ransomware. According to Karien Bornheim, CEO of Footprint Africa Business Solutions, it has become even more critical for companies to invest in security across culture, training, and technology
Remote risk: Work from Home = Advanced Persistent Threats
It does not matter how well you have brushed up on your security acronyms, if you have not brushed up on your remote working security systems, then you are in trouble. The speed at which the world has had to move online, digitally transforming traditional workforces and approaches, has left many companies vulnerable. The risk lies, not in the shift from office to home working, but in unexpected gaps in security and process. According to Karien Bornheim, CEO of Footprint Africa Business Solutions (FABS), it is these holes that can seriously impact the organisation during the pandemic...
Business 2021: Continuity in Uncertainty
Business continuity used to be considered a part of Disaster Recovery (DR), another cog in the urgent wheel that turns to put the business back on track in the event of a crisis. However, the past year has reshaped business continuity in the eyes of the organisation. Its value as a standalone, essential strategy that takes the organisation from crisis to stability, has finally been recognised. In a recent analysis, McKinsey points out that business continuity plans need to be resilient and coordinated, focusing on not just technology resiliency, but on operational resiliency. It is a view shared by Karien Bornheim, CEO of FABS, who believes that the wider meaning of business continuity needs to be considered to ensure that business operations can continue uninterrupted, from anywhere.
Making data relevant to the business
It’s true, business intelligence (BI) tools and hype slipped sadly into the Gartner Trough of Disillusionment in 2012. It is also true that BI overpromised and underdelivered in many expensive use cases. However, today what stands true is that BI has withstood the tarnish it earned back in 2012 as it has steadily evolved thanks to industry expertise and emergent technology. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have provided BI with that extra edge that is needed to cut through the data and deliver both relevance and value to the organisation. According to Karien Bornheim, CEO of Footprint Africa Business Solutions (FABS), it has become critical to invest in solutions that ensure the delivery of relevant data to the business.
The Compass Points North: Business Direction in Uncertainty
The average tenure of a CEO is around five years which means that most business leaders in 2020 were not at the helm when the SARS outbreak took place in 2003, or even when the economy crashed in 2008. They are staring the current pandemic in the eye and wondering whether now is the time to turn and outrun the competition or step forward slowly without any sudden movements. In short, many leaders are struggling to find business direction in a world governed by uncertainty and complexity. According to Karien Bornheim, CEO of FABS, this is the right time to set business foundations that allow for uncertainty and disruption without having to compromise on strategy...
Why it’s the right time for a career in cybersecurity
The cybersecurity landscape is a battle zone. War is being fought on every front, from email to firewalls to personnel to cracking complex codes, cybercriminals are evolving and adapting alongside the technology designed to protect organisations against them.
Cybersecurity -There are consequences
The World Wide Worx State of Enterprise Security in South Africa 2019 report found that 99% of IT departments feel confident that they can protect the company and yet 45% say they don’t have the skills they need to cement this confidence and 43% don’t think they would detect a breach within the first few minutes.
Secure digital control
The world is fast embracing the technology and potential of emergent solutions such as the Internet of Things (IoT), automation and digital transformation. Over the past few years, hype and conversation have centred around what these technologies can do, how they will shake up the business and the roots they will tear from the ground as they reinvent business processes and customer engagement.
The IoT pieces solving the healthcare puzzle
Solutions to business problems across Africa don’t need massive investment, they need lateral thinking to look at the challenges in a different way
There is a way to catch the challenges on the African continent in a web of innovation and ingenuity. It doesn’t involve extensive expense or investment in fresh and shiny technology either. Often, the best solution is one that takes what’s already in play and uses it in a different way. This is precisely what Footprint Africa Business Solutions (FABS) has done with their Doc-in-a-Box.
Forget the hype and focus on the real issues!
IoT is real and can drive real results today, says Footprint Africa Business Solutions
The Internet of Things (IoT) can transform business and create innovative new revenue streams. While the demand for IoT is certainly growing, most providers are still far too focused on the technology and not communicating the business value proposition to their clients. This means that they are not translating IoT solutions into tangible business value for their clients, and that is slowing down adoption rates in South Africa. This is the view of Peter Shaw, engineer at Footprint Africa Business Solutions (FABS).
Skills: Local is essential
Every organisation should be putting its money where its people are and bringing up skills alongside opportunities
Footprint Africa Business Solutions (FABS) is committed to working with local talent – imparting knowledge and training local talent to support growth. It’s a company focused on using local skills and organisations to ensure that IT solutions are effectively maintained and managed. It is also a company that pays attention to not only curating skilled individuals and organisations but to providing opportunity.
Rewriting the African narrative
Africa doesn’t need a handout, it’s offering the rest of the world a hand up
Footprint Africa Business Solutions (FABS) is a company that was inspired by frogs, dumping grounds, and handouts. It’s the antidote to the patronising tone adopted by the rest of the world as it pats Africa on the back. It is the company that was started nearly 20 years ago to rewrite the narrative of Africa by showcasing how the continent is leading the way in innovation and invention.
The game is never over
The 2019 State of Cybersecurity in Small and Medium Size Businesses study by the Ponemon Institute revealed that most companies surveyed suffered severe financial consequences thanks to a cyber-attack. A study undertaken by Bromium and researcher Dr. Michael McGuire found that global cybercrime revenues were reaching a staggering $US1.5 trillion every year. These insane profits were generated from illicit online markets, the theft of trade secrets and intellectual property, data trading, crimeware-as-a-Service, and ransomware. For the cybercriminal with a talent for code and a penchant for problem-solving, this is a lucrative career choice that many are opting into.
So, what does this have to do with video games? One very simple thing. You can never stop learning how to fight because the bad guys just keep getting stronger, better and more complex. You can never sit back and think that you’ve got all your bases covered because they will find a way in. And, they want to find a way in because you’re very, very valuable to them.