IT services firm Serianu opens cyber security training centre in Mauritius

17 July 2018 Consultancy.africa

Building on its training and advisory efforts in the realm of cyber-security across Africa, Nairobi -based IT and business advisory firm Serianu will now make a foray into the IT services market of Mauritius, through the establishment of a cyber-security training centre in the country.

The median population in Africa is the youngest in the world. Over the next four years, one billion of this population will have online digital access. No doubt, the combination of a youthful, energetic populace with a direct connection to the world is a promising prospect in an economic sense.

On the other hand, people with brand new digital access are at risk of falling prey to online predators, who can make use of any action on the internet, from the click of a button to the entry of highly sensitive information to launch an attack. Similarly, newly digitalised firms have not traditionally had cyber security high on their agenda, and are thus also susceptible to attacks.

Kenyan business advisory firm Serianu is rushing to fill this gap between online access and the know-how behind cautious internet-usage. The consulting firm specialises in online data, supporting clients with its collection, analysis, and – most pertinently – its protection. According to 2016 estimates by the firm, the costs incurred from cyber crime in Kenya stand at a cumulative value of $170 million.

Serianu opens cyber security training centre in Mauritius

Earlier this year, the firm established a first-of-its-kind Cyber Immersion Centre in Nairobi, which acts a safe environment to serve the dual purpose of allowing firms to test their cyber-security capabilities and of providing state-of-the-art training for firms and professionals entering the digital domain.

The centre – described by the firm as “a hybrid between an advanced cyber range and an educational institute” – is estimated to have cut costs of technical cyber-security training down to one-third of what is available in the market. In April, the firm also partnered with Liquid Telecom to work on setting cyber-security standards across the continent, among other functions.

Now, Serianu has made its way into the Mauritian market, with the establishment of another cyber-security training centre in the country, which has the capacity to train as many as 500 locals annually on measures of precaution against cyber attacks.

Commenting on the establishment of a new centre in Mauritius, Managing Director at Serianu William Makatiani said, “Our cyber security command and immersion center in Nairobi has shown that there is pent up demand for these training, research, and network testing services for both private and public organisations in southern Africa, driven largely by a growing appreciation of the need for higher investment in information and network protection."