The core value that they bring is convenience and efficiency, which is why we are easy converts to digital anything really — money, banking, commerce, lending and a plethora of on-demand services.
The common thread that ties our access to these services often times is our mobile number and email address, now synonymous with our digital identities.
Since no one platform operates in isolation, each is forced to access or share data with third parties to fulfil their service promise hence the task of policing and securing digital assets must be viewed as a collective effort.
Digital ecosystems have become key to our daily living.
The core value that they bring is convenience and efficiency, which is why we are easy converts to digital anything really — money, banking, commerce, lending and a plethora of on-demand services.
The common thread that ties our access to these services often times is our mobile number and email address, now synonymous with our digital identities.
Since no one platform operates in isolation, each is forced to access or share data with third parties to fulfil their service promise hence the task of policing and securing digital assets must be viewed as a collective effort.
This will not only lead to better service experiences but also greatly reduce the capital burn from siloed replicated efforts.
The truth is that we all have a part to play and we cannot absolve ourselves from responsibility, both individual and corporate.
World over, data is the new gold — more so personal data that can be flipped in the black market for profit or access used to conduct financial crimes.
Regulators, who levy licence and other such fees on service providers, should be at the forefront though.
Education of the market on basic protection measures is key.
Rich, well-articulated knowledge bases with audio visual content must be made readily available across platforms and given a visibility boost in partnership with traditional media outlets.
Consumers, on the other hand, must guard access to their live digital information, in much the same way that they do offline for property and assets that they own, starting almost simplistically with the analogy of one’s own home whose front door is rarely left open with additional layers of security such as the steel door and grills.
They must also be open to initiatives that enhance the security collective much like the neighbourhood watch, integrated as you may imagine for the digital landscape.
Companies that build out these services stand to benefit most and as such they must have rabid policies and procedures in place, updated periodically to ensure that all possible points of breach or compromise are secured and monitored.
It also cannot be security by obscurity.
The measures taken must be made known to consumers so that they too can understand the why, the how and also fine-tune their gut to respond to anything that looks or feels like an anomaly. The weakest link and biggest risk factor that must be mitigated, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies in the case of abuse of access or intent to commit crime, is people.
Technology based tools simply do what they are built to do and it is people who go rogue to exploit and benefit.
No one person or entity carries this responsibility exclusively or absolutely.
Njihiais the Head of Business and Partnerships at Sure Corporation | www.mbuguanjihia.com | @mbuguanjihia
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