This state-of-the-art facility, powered by Microsoft’s AI-enabled Sentinel platform, aims to deliver a comprehensive suite of cutting-edge solutions, offering round-the-clock protection for governments and businesses across the region.

“The establishment of our SOC represents a major milestone, reinforcing our commitment to bolstering the Nigerian and West African technology sectors,” stated Olugbolahan Olusanya, Country Director for Tek Experts Nigeria, during the Center‘s inauguration in Lagos.

“As part of Tek Expert’s dedication to investing in and advancing the Nigerian technology industry, we are pleased to expand our services to include cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions and services, ensuring that their data and operations remain protected against ever-evolving cyber threats.”

Tek Experts is already doing exploits in the tech talent sector, having over 6,000 skilled professionals globally, with 2,000 strategically positioned in Nigeria. From Nigeria’s biggest banks to renowned technology giants, the company has partners including Microsoft, Amazon, Vodafone and others. Now, with Cytek, Tek Experts venture goes beyond talent provision, enhancing its cybersecurity expertise.

“We’re thrilled to establish this crucial cybersecurity hub in Nigeria, extending our reach across West Africa,” emphasized Anat Garty, Chief Cybersecurity Architect at Cytek.

“Our team of cybersecurity experts remains at the forefront of threat intelligence, constantly evolving our strategies to shield our clients from emerging threats. The SOC empowers businesses across diverse industries – especially those handling sensitive data and relying heavily on technology, like financial institutions, healthcare organizations, retailers, and telecoms – with a proactive approach to cybersecurity. It enables them to operate securely and confidently in today’s digital landscape,” asserted Garty.

Cytek brings to the table over 150 cybersecurity experts, a team of vigilant individuals working together from across the globe, with a strong presence in Nigeria. Their arsenal? Managed security services designed to shield organizations from the innovative cyber threats growing daily.

The Cytek SOC rests on three foundational pillars, forming an impenetrable protection against cyber threats. 

The first pillar, Capability Building, provides clients with the knowledge and skills to navigate the cybersecurity sector. Through comprehensive training programs and educational resources, Cytek empowers organizations to understand risk, identify vulnerabilities, and implement best practices. 

No longer passive bystanders, organizations become active participants in their own security, building a foundation of awareness that serves as the first line of defense.

Next stands the Advisory and Implementation pillar. Cytek acts as a trusted advisor and implementation partner, guiding organizations in establishing strong security protocols. Working in close collaboration, Cytek’s expert security team analyzes unique needs and vulnerabilities, crafting bespoke security protocols and infrastructure tailored to each client’s environment. 

This tailored approach ensures that every digital doorway, every access point, is secured with the most effective tools and procedures, leaving no space for attackers to exploit.

Finally, the Managed Security Services, ceaselessly monitoring and managing client security infrastructures. This 24/7 watch provides a shield against evolving threats. Advanced technology scans for anomalies, detects intrusions before they materialize, and triggers swift, coordinated responses to neutralize any potential attack. With threats neutralized and vulnerabilities identified, Cytek engineers implement effective countermeasures, constantly strengthening the digital walls against future incursions.

These three pillars, seamlessly interlinked, form the Cytek SOC’s firm defense system. Providing clients with knowledge, building customized defenses, and maintaining perpetual vigilance, the Cytek SOC ensures that clients can operate with confidence in the ever-shifting digital sector.

Cytek’s SOC leverages the Microsoft Sentinel, an AI-driven platform that acts as a vigilant sentinel, constantly scanning for threats. From proactive threat detection to rapid incident response and comprehensive endpoint defense, Sentinel stands in as the brainpower behind Cytek’s solid security framework.

For companies that already have an in-house cybersecurity team, Cytek recognizes this and emphasizes collaboration. It offers a range of services that seamlessly integrate with existing infrastructure, providing expert support in areas like threat hunting, incident response, and intelligence gathering, filling any gaps and bolstering overall security posture.

The session which held on the 22nd November, was themed “Ensuring Cybersecurity Resilience in Financial Services Companies in Nigeria,” and served as a pivotal platform for fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange in the sector.

Led by cybersecurity experts in the industry, the webinar analysed some of the pressing challenges and emerging threats faced by financial services companies in Nigeria while emphasising the critical need to strengthen cybersecurity resilience in the sector.

Participants gained valuable insights from industry experts and explored innovative solutions to fortify their digital infrastructure.

According to the African Financial Industry Barometre report, 97% of leaders of financial institutions in Africa, rank cybercrime and regulatory constraints on cybersecurity as the leading threat to the financial services industry, alongside worsening economic conditions.

The growing frequency and complexity of attacks are the reasons financial institutions view cybersecurity as a top concern.

Consequently, there is a demand to enhance cybersecurity within financial services firms to establish stronger, more robust, and more sustainable businesses.

“The rapid expansion of digital financial services in Nigeria has ushered in unprecedented opportunities for individuals and businesses within the ecosystem, said Michael Arov, Head of Cytek, Global Cyber Defense Expert. “As a result of this, there is a surge in cyber threats, posing a significant challenge to the continued development of financial institutions in the country, we believe this challenge can be addressed by gaining insights from experts while discussing industry best practices that can advance the sector,” he added.

Speaking further at the webinar, Michael Arov said “Cytek’s presence in Nigeria is positioned to solve the biggest cybersecurity challenges in Nigeria by building capacity, providing managed security services to businesses as well as cybersecurity advisory and implementation, hence the reasons for the launch of the Security Operations Centre in our Tek Experts’ office.”

The virtual session featured a lineup of distinguished speakers, including cybersecurity thought leaders, financial industry experts, and other professionals with extensive experience in protecting financial institutions against cyber threats.

Notable speakers from the session included Chief Cybersecurity Architect, Cytek, Anat (Rubin) Garty; Group Chief Information Security Officer, First Bank, Dr. Harrison Nnaji; and Head of Cytek, Global Cyber Defense Expert, Michael Arov.

YNV Group, through Cytek, remains committed to fostering knowledge-sharing initiatives and providing innovative solutions to address the evolving challenges in the Nigerian financial services sector.

In fact, an estimated 30,000 websites are hacked every day. In Nigeria, both private and public sectors are affected by the rise of cyberattacks. Most recently, during the latest elections in Nigeria, over 12 million cyberattacks were recorded.

The ripple effect of constant security threats can foster long term economic setbacks in the country.

A look at the numbers

Nigeria’s internet connectivity has grown exponentially. A report by datareportal, shows that in the first quarter of 2023, there were 122.5 million internet users in Nigeria, and internet penetration stood at 55.4 percent.

The report also states that Nigeria was home to almost 32 million social media users in January 2023: that’s equal to 14.3 percent of the country’s total population.  

This advancement in connectivity has exposed more people, governments, and businesses in the country to more cyber threats.

In addition, the evolution of work has seen many businesses in Nigeria embrace remote work, causing more people to be vulnerable to several cyberattacks such as phishing, email and phone scams, and impersonation, amongst others. 

Other cybersecurity challenges include the use of different legacy systems, vulnerabilities in the supply chain, an ever-changing threat landscape, and most especially a lack of employee awareness. The impacts of these on businesses are financial losses, reputational damage, and regulatory fines.

Cyber security through Cytek

In response to these threats, Cytek has emerged as a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions in Nigeria.

Cytek counts on a top tier team of cyber security experts who have established and managed numerous high-profile cyber defense projects. Cytek experts have set up secure data centers and security operation centers spanning various sectors, including financial, critical infrastructure and more.

Cytek’s implementation work leverages a combination of proprietary IP, experience and methodologies, which were developed over years of delivering defense projects all over the world

The Support of YNV Group

Under YNV Group umbrella, Cytek joins other companies leading in their respective fields, such as Tek Experts and elev8. Cytek recently announced a new Security Operations Center (SOC) in Lagos in as a joint effort with Tek Experts in their campus on Victoria Island.

The new SOC is backed by Microsoft’s industry leading, AI-enabled Sentinel platform and will deliver 24/7 protection for government entities and organizations that do businesses in Nigeria and West Africa. 

Cytek also works with elev8 to provide cyber security training and upskilling to business and government organizations. Elev8 works to empower organizations to shape their digital transformation journeys through cyber security awareness training, in conjunction with Cytek.

Multi-faceted cyber security approach

Cytek’s expert consultants start with a cyber security gap analysis and then identify clear ways to improve the organization’s security posture. The advisory team designs an implementation roadmap to quickly help fill the gaps in the cyber security infrastructure.

But it doesn’t stop there. Cytek  also provides the managed security services that continue to keep your organization safe in the face of multiple and ever-changing cyber threats. 

Cytek’s team of cybersecurity professionals have a deep understanding of the Nigerian market and the unique challenges that businesses and the government face.

The company’s solutions are designed to help organizations protect their data, systems, and assets from cyberattacks. 

In addition, Cytek, provides organizations with real-time, round-the-clock monitoring to keep them safe in the face of multiple and ever-changing cyber threats.

Also, to increase awareness of cyber security and bridge the skill gap, Cytek provides training, skilling, and tailored employee learning programs.

Ready to improve your security coverage? Contact Cytek!