Responding to a cyber attack appropriately is a crucial aspect of cyber security

In light of an increasingly vulnerable digital environment in Namibia and across Africa, companies must not only protect themselves against targeted cyber attacks, but must also work to ensure that they “bounce back” quickly in the case of such an attack, according to Wynand Gariseb at Headway Consulting.

Headway Consulting has been an integral part of Namibia’s digitalisation process, having organised training programmes to equip organisations with skills in advanced IT tools, as well as facilitating the integration of Industry 4.0 mechanisms. The firm has now commented on cybersecurity.

Africa is rapidly digitalising, and is due to be home to as many as 1 billion internet connections by as early as 2021. Given the relatively new exposure to the online environment, a number of businesses on the continent are susceptible to cyber attacks on their operations.

According to Wynand Gariseb, the resilience of firms to cyber attacks is just as important is their resistance to attacks. Most digitally integrated organisations are at risk of being targeted by cyber criminals at one time or another. The question is one of restoring stability to operations in the wake of an attack.

“How quickly they recover demonstrates the true mettle of the organisation, its cyber resilience, if you will. It should bounce back. Ask yourself; “Would your organization have the ability to withstand, respond to, and recover from a cyber-attack or data breach?,” says Gariseb.

“The goal of cyber resilience is to maintain the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data and business operations,” he adds. In order to ensure that the response to such an attack is appropriate, Gariseb recommends the establishment of clear procedures and mechanisms in the instance of an attack.

As per Gariseb, Headway Consulting’s cyber security framework offers the right tools to tackle such a scenario, particularly as it emphasises a balance between an organisation’s prevention, detection and correction priorities; their people, process and technology priorities.