National Foods invests in measures to curb cyberattacks
LEADING food processing giant for both human and animal consumption, National Foods Holdings Limited, has invested in a centralised system, which is Cloud based as one of measures to guard against cyberattacks.
According to the group, the Cloud security and data security ensure critical systems, processes, and data are sufficiently protected from cybercriminals and other malicious players.
According to the company, application security prevents applications used by employees from becoming points of vulnerability.
“Vulnerability management and risk and compliance services are needed to provide internal and third-party perspectives on points of cybersecurity weakness and areas for improvement,” said the group in the 2023 annual report.
The system also provides a comprehensive set of features and capabilities that empower the business to standardise business processes, propel digital innovation and transformation, enhance security measures and remain competitive in the digital age.
This comes as businesses world over digitalising operations to enhance efficiency and optimise operations.
However, the rise in digitalisation has also given rise to cyberattacks creating scope for businesses to invest in cybersecurity services.
According to the 2021 Africa Cybersecurity report, the prevalence of cyberattacks has been on an increase in countries like Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
IT personnel in many businesses have admitted to experiencing cyberattacks in their businesses.
They also admitted to investing into cybersecurity to limit the prevalence of the attacks.
For Natfoods, its SAP S/4 HANA provides a broad range of encryption capabilities, it has communication encryption, and other security related features such as authentication, authorisation and auditing.
“SAP is also responsible for implementing disaster recovery measure, which include data backup and restore procedures to ensure data can be recovered in the event of a disaster,” said the group.
The VFEX listed firm relies on information technology systems to process, transmit, and store electronic information.
“There are increasing cyber-attacks capabilities due to the rising level of sophistication within the cybercriminal world, which could result in business interruptions.
“Technology evolves swiftly and operations are becoming more complex with the operational environment consequently becomes more challenging. Rapid technological changes are altering the way companies can be affected by malicious cyber activity.
“Any unauthorised access to the company’s confidential data, strategic information, or its public disclosure could harm the company’s reputation or impact its operations,” said Natfoods.
The group added that adequate cybersecurity management requires a strategic approach that involves implementing appropriate security controls, and preventing, detecting, and responding to cyber incidents as they occur.
Said the group: “Cybersecurity management is a continuous process that adapts to the changing threat landscape and business environment, protecting the company’s critical data from unauthorised access and use.”
Cyberattacks often result in substantial financial losses and potential consumer mistrust.
“Through our processes, we aim to minimise the risk of fines and regulatory sanctions due to deliberate data loss, infiltration, or hacking of systems.
“To help National Foods to promptly identify potential external and internal cybersecurity, various technologies and tools have been deployed relevant to the level of countermeasure required,” added the group.