The Director General of the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako, has commended the partnership between Virtual Infosec Africa (VIA), an indigenous firm, and LogRhythm, an international company, to protect the data of businesses and organisations against cyber-attacks and interruptions.

Dr. Antwi-Boasiako said the partnership between the two leading brands in the cybersecurity industry would ensure the benefit of the industry, businesses and organisations.

He described it as exemplary of the kind of business relations that the regulator needed for the growth and capacity building of local players.

Dr. Antwi-Boasiako gave the commendation last week at the launch of the NextGen SIEM-SOC Cybersecurity Services, which is an outcome of the partnership between VIA and LogRhythm.

The event was chaired by a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu.

The DG of the CSA stated that the authority was proud of the stellar performance of VIA, which has been in operation for about 15 years and was confident that the partnership with LogRhythm would enable it to impact many more businesses positively.

He indicated that the cybersecurity industry was full of untapped potential and that the authority was keen on giving a bigger pie to locals.

He, however, stated that it would be for naught if indigenous firms were not well-empowered.

He, therefore, advised local businesses in the cyber security space to join forces with credible foreign counterparts to help build their capacities to be able to tap into the existing opportunities.

He also advised players in the sector to prepare for the licensing of service providers, which kicked off this month.

He described it as novel and necessary to protect the integrity of the cybersecurity industry.

Regional Director for Africa and Pakistan at LogRhythm Essam Ahmed Mr Ahmed said the service was programmed to reduce cybersecurity exposure, eliminate blind spots, limit damage and disruption and shut down possible cyber-attacks through the activities of hackers.

He said the service, among other things, operates with artificial intelligence (AI) that is capable of detecting and preventing cyber threats while protecting the data of organisations and institutions that deploy it.

The Chief Executive Officer of VIA, Emmanuel Sekyere Asiedu, said he was excited about the partnership, as it would enable his outfit to deploy LogRhythm’s award-winning platform in Ghana.

Mr said the platform offered world-class SIEM, NDR, and UEBA capabilities to the Ghanaian market and the sub-region as a whole.

“With this partnership, we are combining our expertise in cybersecurity to provide businesses with a one-stop-shop for all their cybersecurity needs with the main aim of maximizing return on investment.

“Our joint offering includes a range of services such as network security, cloud security, threat intelligence and incident response,” he said.

Mr Asiedu, therefore, advised businesses and organisations to take advantage of the partnership to protect their data from threats.

The CEO of VIA affirmed that cyber security was an increasingly important issue in today's world, noting that as technology evolved, so did the threats to online security.

“Our two companies recognise the need for comprehensive and reliable cyber security solutions that protect businesses from a wide range of threats. We are dedicated to ensuring that all customers receive an excellent experience, and we have an ecosystem of trusted expertise to help you successfully deploy and implement LogRhythm's award-winning platform throughout your organisations,” he said.

Mr Asiedu disclosed that VIA was partnering with universities to set up laboratories, to provide guided training in the area of cyber security.

He added that the initiative was to ensure that the country has enough qualified and-market ready security operation centre (SOC) analysts, pen testers and cyber security champions with the requisite skills to support the industry.

He commended the CSA for its hard work in regulating the industry and called on all to support the regulator to create and sustain the enabling environment for businesses to thrive.