Smart OlawaleA leader in the Nigerian cybersecurity space made a shocking revelation during one of his meetings with our team – he said many organisations in Nigeria have advanced endpoint security tools, but do not have a team that can optimise it. And to address this challenge, he resolved that MDR is the present and future.
I agree, yes, some companies in other parts of the world are rapidly adopting managed detection and response (MDR) services. That is, instead of shouldering their in-house team with the whole job of handling everything cybersecurity, they outsource external experts to lend a helping hand.
Is outsourcing cybersecurity experts the way to go for Nigerian companies as well? You be the judge!
After reading this blog post, I really believe that you will be able to decide whether your business needs to focus on optimizing your endpoint solution or advance towards adopting MDR services.
What are Managed Detection and Response Services?
In a layman’s language, it means outsourcing cybersecurity experts.
MDR is a service that has come to stay, as many organisations that require round-the-clock security protection, are short of manpower and tools needed to achieve it.
Also Read: Ha-Shem Limited Achieves Sophos Central Endpoint and Server Partner Accreditation – What It Means For You
MDR providers deliver protection-as-a-service to vulnerable organisations. They complement your existing security team to provide 24/7/365 security coverage and operation; combining technologies, sophisticated analytics, threat intelligence, and human knowledge to quickly identify and neutralise threats on your behalf.
Cybersecurity is too complex, too difficult, and changes too fast to be effectively managed by most organisations…
Kendra Krause, SVP, Sophos.
How Do MDR Services Fit Into Nigeria’s Cybersecurity Ecosystem?
Nigeria loses billions of naira to cybercrime activities, and yet there is a relatively low cyber awareness culture. Do not also be surprised that some Cybersecurity professionals believe that several Nigerian organisations sweep an attack incident under the carpet, or fail to divulge full details to the public, therefore, limiting the knowledge of the cyberattack rampage in the Nigerian business space.
In the light of the above revelation, we can boldly conclude that Nigerian organisations are in dire need of MTR Services. There are other reasons for our bold declaration. And you will find them as you read further.
Cyber-attacks are a constant danger to Nigerian businesses, most especially financial institutions. Some of these organisations fall victims, but we are unable to precisely evaluate the losses in this part of the world. We are also unable to correctly track the frequency of cyber-attacks. It is quite unfortunate that many institutions that are victims of cyberattacks prefer to keep the information hidden from the public as much as possible – an unlawful activity which is not obtainable in other nations.
Paul Pius, Cybersecurity Professional, Nigeria
Why Nigerian Organisations need MDR – Outsourcing Cybersecurity Experts:
1. Huge skill gap – In 2019, it was reported that Nigeria has only about 3,500 cybersecurity professionals. Disturbing? Well, add that to the massive brain drain prevalent in our society today, and it pierces the heart.
2. Inadequate knowledge of optimising endpoint solutions – With an advanced solution like Sophos XDR, it becomes increasingly difficult for today’s cybersecurity professionals in Nigeria to put their endpoint security into practical use. What do I mean? They get all the data they need, but because of their lack of experience, they cannot take actions that remediate a cyber threat.
3. Staff burnout – In some organisations, there is no distinction between the Security Team and another technical unit. The same people investigating threats are also the ones needed to oversee daily I.T. operations. Outsourcing Cybersecurity professionals to complement the effort of these people can only be a lifesaver, and a productivity mechanism.
4. Peace of Mind – Running a 24/7 security operation centre is super expensive. And there are not many experts that can manage it. Not having a SOC means you would panic if you got a call at 2am on Sunday that your company was hitby a cyberattack. MDR is a cost-effective and efficient alternative.
Sophos Managed Threat Response
MDR is the way to go. Talk of getting the best MDR Service, then we would recommend Sophos Managed Threat Response (MTR).
Sophos MTR is a fully managed service that provides threat hunting, detection, and response capabilities around the clock, 7 days a week. Rather than just alerting you of cyberattacks or unusual behaviour, the Sophos MTR team takes precise action on your behalf to eradicate even the most sophisticated and complex threats.
Let’s tell you more about MTR, request a free discovery session HERE.
Smart Olawale
Chisom
Emmanuel Adewumi
Michael Adelaja
Olaide Akisanya