Tag: cybersecurity

A cyberattack does not end when malicious activity has been contained. For the affected business, that is usually when the most expensive phase begins. When an attacker breaches a system, the problem quickly extends beyond IT. Systems may go offline while staff try to keep the business running. Customers demand answers, and the business may need to meet regulatory obligations. All these activities cost money, often when revenue is already under pressure.

Twenty years ago, PC procurement was pretty straightforward. Business leaders would evaluate hardware specifications and then set off to compare vendors. This process was generally rooted in a single, simple transaction. It was one and done. Fast-forward to now, and this is no longer the case.

Predictions about the future of work have become commonplace. Every year brings forecasts about new technologies, changing job roles, and the skills employees will need to remain competitive. But as 2026 has unfolded, many of those predictions have moved beyond theory. They are shaping hiring decisions, influencing business strategy, and redefining what employers expect from their people.

Backup, disaster recovery, and operational resilience are often used interchangeably in boardroom conversations. However, they are three distinct disciplines. Each carries its own risk if organisations leave it unaddressed. Organisations that conflate the three are frequently the ones caught out when ransomware strikes.

Your firewall cannot save you because the workplace it was designed to protect barely exists anymore. Employees work from anywhere. Applications sit in the cloud, while data moves between platforms and devices. Businesses also increasingly rely on third parties and connected services. The office may still have a firewall, but the business itself has long since moved beyond its walls.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) has quickly evolved from a novelty into a regular workplace tool. It helps with tasks such as drafting emails, summarising documents, coding, and data analysis. AI-powered platforms are changing how people work. As more employees use these tools, a less visible trend is emerging: the rise of shadow AI.

As businesses accelerate the use of generative AI tools, cybersecurity teams face a growing reality. Traditional Data Loss Prevention (DLP) controls were never designed for the way employees now use Artificial Intelligence (AI). For years, DLP strategies focused on monitoring structured data. They tracked information moving through predictable channels such as email, USB devices, printing, and file transfers.

In many South African mid-market businesses, the IT team is now expected to operate with the discipline of an enterprise technology function. However, it must do so without the depth of resources that larger organisations can bring to bear. That leaves a small team moving between Microsoft 365 licensing, cloud workloads, user support, backup checks, endpoint protection, email security, connectivity issues, vendor escalations, procurement, compliance requests, and the first questions around AI governance.

The South African administrative state has acquired yet another hammer - digital traveller technology. Government departments appear now to assume that because something can be digitised, it should be digitised. Worse still, because information can be collected, it ought to be collected. SARS's compulsory new online “Traveller Declaration” system exemplifies this increasingly pervasive mindset.

As industrial automation becomes increasingly software-driven and AI-enabled, the channel partner's role is undergoing a profound shift. The next generation of partners will be evaluated not on the products they sell, but on their ability to design, integrate, and support outcome-based solutions in complex, connected environments.