Africa Tech Festival 2024 – The Home of AfricaCom, AfricaTech & AfricaIgnite is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC

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Africa Tech Festival 2024 – The Home of AfricaCom, AfricaTech & AfricaIgnite
Event dates: 11-14 Nov 2024
Exhibition Opening Dates: 12 - 14 Nov 2024Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town
Event dates: 11-14 Nov 2024
Exhibition Opening Dates: 12 - 14 Nov 2024,
Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town

Cloud & Data Centres

Discover new opportunities in Africa’s booming cyber security space

About the topic

While businesses are increasingly aware of the potential efficiency gains to be realised by optimising information management processes, the challenges of data security and data protection still need to be more effectively addressed – particularly given the severity of failing to do so: Cyber attacks can prove an expensive threat to business as we’ll highlight in these discussions. Businesses cannot seize the opportunities of digitalisation without also addressing its challenges. No information management approach can be planned independently of data security and data protection.

A holistic approach requires protection of every data flow including data generation, processing and storage, with continuous encryption used at every stage. It also entails backups for the information management system as part of an effective disaster recovery plan. These measures are even more important due to the increased pressures arising from legislation. POPI sensitive information in areas like HR and customer data require very high levels of protection in terms of storage, access and processing. Through intelligent information management, businesses can start to meet their obligations – irrespective of the hybrid nature of many businesses’ content management environment.

Nir Kshetri discusses increased security risks amid digital transformation in emerging economies

It's suggested that a billion people in Africa will have Internet access by 2022 (source: https://bit.ly/3c7yaxG), which increases the risk of significant hacking activities. In this interview ahead of North Africa Com, we sat down with Nir Kshetri to learn about cybersecurity risk, digital transformation and emerging markets. 


Guest: Nir Kshetri is Professor at University of North Carolina-Greensboro. He has authored eight books and more than 130 articles in various journals. In December 2018, he spoke at the Plenary Session, Digital Technology and Sustainable Development: South-South Cooperation in the Digital World at the Hong Kong Summit of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC). Nir has been quoted/interviewed and/or his work has been featured by hundreds of media outlets worldwide. In 2018, he gave a TED Talk about the potential roles of cryptocurrencies in fighting poverty.

Key sessions include:

The evolution of cyber risk as data and connectivity define our digital future

  • Overcoming the pandemic cyber challenges fuelled by accelerated digitization
  • Integrating and automating security as a best practice
  • Building stronger and effective partnerships across government and industries

Africa’s evolving Cyber Threats

  • Emerging technologies reshaping the African battlefield as government responses are lagging
  • AI, drones and 5G increasing integration but are they cyber enablers or disablers?
  • Addressing the changing digitization and factoring employees and behaviours into the workflow management plans.
  • Dealing with the fast evolving array of digital threats from espionage, critical infrastructure sabotage and combat innovation

Taking a holistic approach to data security and data protection

  • Ensuring continuous encryption at every stage of data flow including data generation, processing and storage
  • Implementing back ups for information management systems
  • Managing the social engineering methods that hackers embrace

Prepare, Respond and Recover - Industry spotlight on surviving modern day cyber attacks in Africa

  • Responding to state targeted cyber incidents through immediate and long remedial actions
  • Implementing preventative measures, taking account of tech, people, services and processes
  • Tools and resources used to identify, mitigate and manage risks and attacks

Security has gone haywire: Surviving and thriving amid organizational evolution

Presentation: On Lions and Bulls. How to comprehend and respond to the true nature of cybersecurity threats

You've been breached! putting your best foot forward during incident response with specific media and reputation management practices