WHY EVERY AFRICAN BUSINESS NEEDS A CYBER SECURITY PLAN

  • By Sylvia Kabeira
  • May 13, 2025

A cyber security plan is no longer optional- it’s essential.

During an important product launch, our company’s website suddenly went down. I logged in to find a black screen with a ransom message: "We’ve got control of your site. Pay us or it’s gone." The hacker had hijacked the site just as the campaign went live. I quickly contacted our hosting service and cybersecurity experts, but there was no immediate response. After 48 hours of intense work, we managed to restore the site, but the launch was delayed, and trust was damaged.

It was a wake-up call about the importance of strong cybersecurity and having backup plans in place for critical events.

That was a lesson learnt the hard way. I can only imagine how many businesses have had to go through this. Cyber attack is the attempt to gain access to someone's documents or files without their knowledge. This is something that is unavoidable with the rise of technology. One needs to have measures to securely protect their files, data and information in order to feel safe.

Cyber security plan is a structured approach to protecting your digital systems, data, and assets from cyber threats. This includes: Regular data backups, Data protection tools, employee training, a response plan in case of an attack and risk assessment. Think of it as a business digital seatbelt, you may not need it everyday, but when danger hits, your items are saved. If I had gone for a safer virtual space or platform to hold my webinar and have a cyber security plan, then we would have never been hacked!

According to Interpol, Africa loses billions annually due to cybercrime. From phishing scams targeting customers to ransomware attacks locking up critical data, threats are becoming more sophisticated. Unfortunately, most small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) don't think they’re targets — until it’s too late.

With the rapid digital transformation rising in Kenya, a cyber security plan is a key essential factor in your business. It will help you build a strong customer trust, your customers will feel safer sharing their information knowing that your business is secured. It will also help you focus on your business growth and not worry too much on the threats you might receive. Having a cyber security plan will help you be compliant with the data protection laws that are now incorporated in the constitution of Kenya. Last but not least, it will help you prevent business costly downtime and reputation damage.

A few practical tips to start on your cyber security plan are: learn on all there is to learn on cyber security, use antivirus software and update it regularly, adopt strong factors and enable two factor authentication, back up your data offsite or on icloud, work with experts who can guide you better.

Don't be HACKED! Have a Cyber Security Plan!


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