A cybersecurity expert, Mr. Remi Afon has predicted that though, the absence of infrastructure is still a challenge in Nigeria, the present Covid-19 Pandemic will eventually lead to a situation where companies in Nigeria will begin to practice virtual offices in the next six months.
Afon, who is also the President of the Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN), stated this today while featuring on Channel TV’s Sunrise Daily to discuss ‘Work from Home: Accessing Supporting Infrastructure & Cyber security’.
“The Coronavirus crisis has seen an unparalleled number of employees working remotely. This is a practice that was not hitherto encouraged in Nigeria, largely because of trust. I believe that going forward; a lot of companies in Nigeria will begin to practice it as it saves resources and man-hours. Working from home is the future of jobs,” he stated on the programme, which was done via Skype from London.
He, however, argued that this can only be possible when the challenges of basic infrastructure like electricity, Internet and other forms of connectivity have been addressed.
Meanwhile, Afon has warned that companies that assigned employees to remote locations may be inadvertently compromising systems and data. He noted that most workers unwittingly use devices that are not properly protected from attack, thus, exposing entire organizations to profound risk.
“There is every reason to expect cybercriminals and malicious actors to exploit the Covid-19 situation by launching new cyber-attacks and campaigns because people are presently more vulnerable,” he added.
Advising organisations caught in this Covid-19 crisis to develop a framework that will better manage cybersecurity systems under today’s abnormal conditions, Afon suggests that such a framework should contain a proprietary set of rules governing risks pertaining to a redeployed remote workforce.
He also explained as the world contends with the unprecedented threat of Coronavirus, organisations, who presently have remote workforce should create a unique lens for threats generated by the pandemic and ensures it uses best practices to manage them as they may be working with personal devices.
