99% of the almost 1 million registered business enterprises in the Philippines are classified as Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Pre pandemic, MSMEs are on the brink of a digital transformation, the pandemicwas the push almost everyoneneeded. As they continue to fully transition to digital economy, protecting their businesses from cyberthreats has become increasingly important.
In collaboration with the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC) – Global MSME Academy, National MSME Week 2022 opened with a forum on Cybersecurity by Technology Access for All (TAFA) Chief Technology Officer Mr. Kennedy Kwofie.
In his talk, Mr. Kwofie stressed the importance of cybersecurity for MSMEs, especially as more and more cyberattacks have been targeting small and medium enterprises. There is an increase of attacks on companies in various industries and sizes. The growing number of cybercrimes has made it imperative for businesses to take actionto safeguard their data and business operations.
Mr. Kwofie also explained that cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated as well, with new forms of malware being developed every day. SMEs are facing upwardsof 11 to 13 cyber-attacks per device per day – higher than larger enterprises. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are increasingly vulnerable to cybercrime because they often lack the resources to defend themselves adequately.
Cybersecurity is no longer just for large enterprises and it’sa critical component of every business’digital infrastructure. TAFA’smission is to help businesses protect their data regardless of size and to ensure that they are defended from cybercrime. TAFA is offering a BlackBerry- powered subscription serviceknown as TAFA Shield that protects your business from cyberthreats and are tailoredto your needs through the capabilities, features and add-on services.
In line with the theme of the National MSME Week 2022 celebration, “RISE MSMEs in the Digital Economy: Resilient, Innovative, Sustainable, Empowered” educating and training members on the cybersecurity threat facing MSMEs is especially important with today’s digital age – and moreover, what measures they can take to boost cyber-resilience.
PTTC and TAFA Holdings (S) Pte Ltd signed an MOU in February 2022. The partnership hopes to help increase awareness on how MSMEs can protect themselves from cyber threats. In addition to training, they will also provide online resources and materials needed for security professionals.
TAFA is licensed by the Singapore Cybersecurity Regulatory Office(CSRO) and is also a managed cybersecurity service partner of Blackberry in the region. With this partnership, TAFA was able to expandtheir offering with BlackBerry’s smart,AI-based machine learningand external securityteams, so they can further help customers of any size improve their security posture with a prevention-first approach.
