June always feels like a good time to focus on cybersecurity. Whether it’s the buzz of Infosecurity Europe, or just the fact that we’re halfway through the year, it’s a good chance to reflect on challenges and progress.

Sometimes cybersecurity can be wrapped up in technical jargon – next-generation tools and paradigm shifts and letters that appear to have been swiped from the alphabet and reordered to create the latest can’t-live-without product.

For those who have no reason to regularly interact with this world, cybersecurity can seem like an abstract concept – one that they’re aware of but not necessarily interested in, or bothered about.

But every so often, something happens to remind us that, at the heart of this multi-billion-dollar industry, are ‘people’. It all comes back to people. From the CISO whose job has never been more scrutinised or pressured, to the SOC analysts who serve as the first line of defence. And from the cybercriminals who launch sophisticated attacks, to the employee who clicked on a phishing link that they were certain was from their boss, and the customers whose private information is exposed.

It won’t have escaped your attention that there have been some high-profile breaches in recent weeks. Marks and Spencer, Co-op and Adidas are three big names that have all been contending with disruption thanks to attacks.

And in a time when people are questioning ‘when’ an attack will happen, rather than ‘if’, it has been heartening to see a level of empathy in discussions around these incidents.

It’s this ‘human’ element of cybersecurity that I most enjoy about this sector, and which I was fortunate enough to see in action during Lynchpin Media’s Intelligent Technology Week Africa, held in Johannesburg last month.

We had the pleasure of hosting a roundtable where speakers from several industries and job titles joined together to discuss some of the most pertinent issues and focus areas surrounding Digital Transformation in Africa today.

One of our table topics was, of course, cybersecurity. We explored key threats to the region, as well as initiatives that were working well to ease the pressure.

Ben Leitch, our CXO Cyber Connections Manager, wrote of the discussion:

“While Africa is still in its embryonic era of advanced technology, businesses must not be naïve to the ever-present threat of cyberattacks. The estimated cost of cybercrime in Africa was around 10 billion dollars in 2022 and was only projected to rise.

“Where in the western world, cybersecurity is a major pressing issue, topping the priority list of many businesses, due to the infancy of progressive technology in many areas in the continent, there is a lack of urgency and importance being placed upon cyberdefence across Africa.

“Speaking at the roundtable, Anathi Mtila, Manager, Cyber Defense, MTN Group South Africa, highlighted the huge problem of ransomware attacks that occur in Africa every single day, alongside a massive market for company information on the dark web. Computers, servers are networks comprised 65% of attacks in 2024. This illustrates the low-level security infrastructure within companies across Africa.

“A further issue in the cybersecurity sector in the region is the lack of talent, skills and training – not an issue specific to Africa, a problem experienced worldwide. However, the lack of digital literacy in many regions in Africa limits the training that can be undertaken and the skills that can be developed. Opportunities to learn need to be made available as governments, organisations and the public are all under threat from malicious cyberattacks.”

Meanwhile, the Intelligent ICT Awards Africa, held at Katy’s Palace, recognised vendors and end users across the regional cybersecurity space. This year’s winners were:

Intelligent Software Security Partner – Vumacam

Vumacam has developed a sophisticated security platform that is serving as a game-changer in helping security partners optimise and future-proof their operations as crime evolves. Their platform brings control rooms to life, managing alerts from multiple disparate systems and offering peace of mind.  

Vumacam’s purpose is to foster collaboration between the private and public sector through technology to keep ahead of crime by constantly investing in and growing its infrastructure and platform to provide lifesaving and actionable intelligence in real time.  

Intelligent Secure Digital Transformation Partner – Forensic Sciences Institute

 This vendor is a trusted partner in securing Digital Transformation initiatives, providing tailor-made, agile security strategies that protect organisations from evolving digital threats. They have a proven track record of impactful results which positions them as a deserving recipient of this award.    

Intelligent Training and Awareness Initiative – Orange Cyberdefense 

This award honours a business that has designed and delivered an impactful training programme to enhance organisational cybersecurity awareness and resilience.  

Orange Cyberdefense delivers uniquely immersive and practical cybersecurity training grounded in real-world experience. 

Their global success enables them to offer these high-quality courses in South Africa at reduced prices, contributing to local skill development. This combination of cutting-edge methodology, real-world relevance, global recognition, and positive impact makes their training exceptional and a clear winner.  

Intelligent Network Security Implementation of the Year – Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks was recognized for consistently implementing innovation in security through the integration of Artificial Intelligence, automation and cloud-native technologies into its solutions.   

This company empowers regional security teams with proactive threat detection and autonomous response capabilities, drastically reducing incident response times, while its SASEplatform redefines secure connectivity for the hybrid workforce, merging networking and security into a single cloud-delivered service.  

 Intelligent Cloud Security Implementation of the Year – Paygilant 

Paygilant provides groundbreaking fraud prevention technology, which seamlessly balances security and user experience. The company’s cloud-based architecture ensures scalability with minimal infrastructure requirements, reducing the carbon footprint associated with traditional fraud prevention systems. 

It was a pleasure to honour the inspirational individuals at these organisations who are all helping to play a part in the collective security of South Africa.

In a time where the security landscape is dominated by news of AI innovation and technology developments – which are absolutely crucial in levelling the playing field against sophisticated, malicious attackers – it’s important to remember the humans at the heart of it all. We’ll continue to do so through Intelligent CISO and our CXO Cyber Connections platform, which you can join (for free) here.