Internet Security and Business

Last week i had the misfortune of my email account being hacked. My personal data was compromised and i still cannot fully detail the extent of the damage. I also regret that this may have caused a ripple effect of abuse on my friend's, colleague's and associate's accounts.

It all started with an innocent looking email from a friend. It was so enticing since it related to business and online trading. I fell for it and the results were a disaster. I quickly tried rectifying the account while away from Nairobi over the weekend but the same proved futile i had to wait as the criminals vandalised my account. I am glad that the error has now been rectified.

Had the account contained any business data and  information, it would call for a declaration of a Personal Investment Disaster.

Now i have come to think about it, today we can literally trade at the comfort of our office or house thanks to Mobile and Online Trading.

You can make offshore investments as you work here in Kenya at the click of a button. Today you can invest in a public company through Mpesa. For instance AIB Capital has recently introduced AIB Mobile service for trading in stocks. This is possible due to enhanced Internet connectivity and the magic of mobile money (what i call the 'pesa mkononi' revolution).

Large and Small enterprises are now turning to e-solutions to manage their ventures in a more cost-effective means. Cloud computing is now the preferred solution to handle shared data within an organisation and has revolutionalised application of computer programmes. Internet providers and software developers are competing to introduce new and innovative produsts by the minute.

The above brief exposition is the reason why we must take On-line security most seriously. Imagine the loss a business can incur if its systems are compromised or the government if a hacker infringes its system, as it happened for the Kenya Police Website awhile back. Confidential information can be shared with and billions lost through to criminals.

Let us all take Internet security seriously and this includes the security of our mobile phones, tablets, PCs the list is endless....atleast i am now very keen on this and have learnt valuable lessons the hard way.