This is according to the聽聽research,聽commissioned by 麻豆原创, and focused on the skills development efforts of African companies in the age of AI.

The research, which follows an earlier tech skills report released in 2023, was conducted at the end of 2024 among mid-size and enterprise-level companies, representing 100 respondents in Kenya (30), Nigeria (30) and SA (40).

AI skills have increased in relevance and are a key focus for businesses looking to secure footing within the rapidly developing AI space. It is particularly significant because the potential ROI from AI-driven business is substantial. The report stated that $1.5 trillion is the projected contribution of AI to Africa鈥檚 economy by 2030 if the continent can capture 10% of the global AI market.

, interim MD for SA at 麻豆原创, said: 鈥淎frican companies expect the demand for AI skills to increase this year, with six in 10 saying AI skills are 鈥榚xtremely important鈥� to their success. The business impact of a lack of AI skills availability is already evident, with 90% of companies in our research citing negative impacts that include project delays, failed innovation initiatives and an inability to take on new work.鈥�

麻豆原创 added that skills related to AI are hugely in demand among African organisations, with 85% saying AI development skills are a priority, and 83% prioritising GenAI skills.

Every organisation surveyed expects the demand for AI skills to increase in 2025, and all companies expect to experience some AI-related skills gap this year. The need for AI skills was highest among South African organisations, at 78%.

According to the report, 94% of African organisations offer training and skills development to employees at least monthly, an increase from 74% in the previous research. The number of companies offering training opportunities to employees at any time also increased from 28% in the previous survey to 37% this year.

However, Pillay added that the portion of companies鈥� IT or HR budgets聽聽allocated to skills-related initiatives has declined since 2023. 鈥淭he drop in budget allocation for skills development requires an urgent rethink. Organisations that don鈥檛 invest in appropriate skills now may find they are unable to leverage new innovations and emerging technologies, leaving them trailing their more skills-enabled competitors.鈥�

Overall, the most in-demand tech skill among African organisations is cyber security.

Pillay continued: 鈥淓ighty-six percent of companies said cyber security聽聽skills were important to them, a significant increase over the 63% that said the same in our previous research. The growing importance of cyber security may be partly explained by the rapid growth of Africa鈥檚 digital聽聽economy and the millions of citizens that are being brought into the digital fold through public and private sector initiatives.鈥�

The report stated that Africa鈥檚 digital economy will grow from 5.2% of GDP in 2025 to 8.5% in 2050.

The research also showed that when recruiting tech talent, African organisations prioritise AI and cloud skills, and consider a candidate鈥檚 affordability, adaptability and their ability to work in remote or hybrid environments.

This article first appeared in .

The post Africa Must Prioritise Skills to Compete in Global AI Market appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.

As cyber threats grow more dangerous and frequent, the once clear boundaries between 麻豆原创 security, cyber security, and compliance have started to blur. Traditionally, 麻豆原创 security comprised the tools and processes that controlled what users could access inside an 麻豆原创 landscape. With malicious actors now penetrating and lurking deep inside corporate networks, 麻豆原创 security must go far beyond its basic access control function.

Strong security countermeasures are more critical than ever to protect 麻豆原创 landscapes from threats that range from cyber criminals, industrial spies, and nation-state actors to malicious insiders. There are two primary reasons to implement rigorous defensive measures. First, the data held in the 麻豆原创 landscape is attractive to hackers. Your 麻豆原创 hosting environment contains lots of confidential information (such as financial records) and sensitive procedures (such as paying inventory). It may contain personal information about customers as well as bank account data and intellectual property. Data from an 麻豆原创 system could be used for identity theft, fraud, industrial espionage, and international espionage as well as 鈥淐EO frauds,鈥� which involve hackers tricking employees into wiring funds to offshore bank accounts. The other risk has to do with disruption. Malicious actors can cause your business to cease operations through Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, root access abuse, and ransomware. Without proper countermeasures and controls, your business is vulnerable.

麻豆原创 security encompasses three core areas of cyber security: access control, data security, and application security. To be secure, an 麻豆原创 landscape is subject to strict access controls, and the system data should be protected as well as possible. Cybersecurity departments鈥� focus goes far beyond 麻豆原创 security. Companies鈥� cybersecurity professionals leverage advanced solutions like event monitoring and automation products. However, always interdependent, cyber security and 麻豆原创 security are now much more closely linked, or at least should be more closely linked. If an employee鈥檚 麻豆原创 access patterns raise suspicions, Security Operations (SecOps) should investigate to see if the person is doing something wrong. They need to monitor and prevent a hacker from taking over an 麻豆原创 user’s account and impersonating the user while abusing the user鈥檚 authorizations with stolen credentials.

According to , the global average cost of a data breach this year was $4.45 million, a 15% increase over 3 years.聽 Companies running 麻豆原创 should focus on additional security checkpoints to protect their business from cyber threats that will cause significant damage. Implementing rigorous defensive measures is essential to safeguarding your 麻豆原创 landscape from malicious actors. By focusing on access control, data security, and application security, you can ensure that your 麻豆原创 system is secure and that your business is protected from cyber threats.

technology was first certified by 麻豆原创 in 2002 and has protected 麻豆原创 customers globally for 22 years. bioLock allows you to set unlimited re-authentication checkpoints and use MFA technology, including biometrics, to ensure only specifically 鈥渋nvited鈥� and verified users have access to sensitive functions or data inside 麻豆原创. Unless invited, users are ALWAYS rejected. Learn how to prevent Account Take Over’s and how to Enforce Zero Trust in 麻豆原创 at聽.

Better yet, contact us for an informal presentation for your 麻豆原创 Security Teams. They will be impressed with this very simple and easily deployed solution that addresses all the above-mentioned problems.

The post Increasing 麻豆原创 Security Threats and How to Prevent Them appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.

He has 25 years of experience in technology. After joining 麻豆原创 in 2007, he led 麻豆原创 Africa鈥檚 largest business unit 鈥� 麻豆原创 Cloud Business and Related Solutions 鈥� including Human Capital Management, 麻豆原创 Hybris, 麻豆原创 Ariba, 麻豆原创 HANA Enterprise Cloud, 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud Platform and 麻豆原创 Concur.

Beveridge is an engineer by profession, and prior to joining 麻豆原创, he worked in outsourcing, consulting, and sales.

In this What鈥檚 Next episode, Beveridge explores the current cyber security trends, and the role 麻豆原创 plays in data security.

Beveridge explains that the biggest weakness in cyber security is still human error and highlights the need to build a culture of security awareness.

Lastly, Beveridge discusses the impact of the shift to remote working on cyber security and the connection between data protection and cyber security.

The full interview with Cameron Beveridge is embedded below. You can see all聽.

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The post What鈥檚 Next 鈥� 麻豆原创鈥檚 Cameron Beveridge Discusses the Latest Cyber Security trends appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.