Samuel M. Mulunga
Recent media reports inform us that the Google internet cable has reached Namibian shores.
The observant eye would have noticed fibre cables being laid along certain streets of Windhoek.
The obvious change to the everyday internet user in Windhoek and Namibia at large will be increased internet speed once local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have made the necessary technical implementations.
In this article, I want to explore some of the opportunities and threats of this latest development on the Namibian Information and Communications Technology (ICT) landscape, with a special focus on SMEs.
Assuming that typical SMEs have around five to 50 computers, the increased internet speed will bring about faster access to internet resources and more stable connections, allowing for steady presence on the web for everyday communication and collaboration with stakeholders.
Another opportunity being presented with the fast internet speed is the ease of e-commerce, as SMEs access lucrative markets speedily and on stable infrastructure.
The third boost brought about by the fast internet speed is on the one major cultural change post-Covid - remote work.
SMEs staff will be able to seamlessly work from home and away from the office, enabled by the correct software and protocols.
Workers’ access to documents on the business network infrastructure will be faster, and collaboration among co-workers enhanced.
However, in the imperfect world that is ours, the very opportunities being brought by the increased speed are accompanied by threats in the cyber world.
Remote workers expand the boundaries of the computer network of SMEs from the relatively safe confines behind a firewall of the business to a wider area as they work from home or elsewhere.
As the computer network expands to areas/spaces beyond the network of the office, the traditional protective tools such as antivirus software are no longer enough to protect the computer network of SMEs as cybercriminals deploy ransomware to compromise the remote computers, and potentially gain access to the computer network of the SMEs.
The ultimate prize of the cybercriminals once access to the SME’s network is gained, will be the most important asset of the business – it’s data! The second threat facing many SMEs is the lack of proper data protection plans and systems in place.
For many SMEs, a proper data protection plan and system is an afterthought and not a priority, which should be at the forefront of business owners.
Sadly, for some business owners, the necessity of a proper data protection plan is only realised after an incident of data loss due to external threats such as cybercriminals demanding money for their priceless data, or an unplanned and unexpected event such as systems failure, hardware failure or theft.
The final threat to SMEs are computer networks that are not optimally designed. Many SMEs have a piecemeal approach to their computer network growth, and do not seek the assistance of a professional in the designing of their systems as they would in other crucial areas of their business.
It goes without saying that every SME owner needs to consult a computer professional to help them design a strategy that addresses threats brought about by cybercriminals, and come up with comprehensive data protection plans to ensure resilience in the unfortunate and highly probable event of a disaster.
* Samuel M. Mulunga is the Managing Director of Anmeta Information Technology Consultants, and can be reached at mulungab@yahoo.com.