By Chinenye Anuforo
[email protected]

today’s digital world, cybersecurity threats such as ransomware and business email compromise (BEC) are very common and have plunged organisations into scathing losses.

With that harsh reality, it simply means that protecting digital assets is no longer optional but mandatory for organisations of all sizes; especially those in underserved sectors in the economy, which often bear the brunt of these attacks due to inadequate defences.

To address these challenges, Mr. Prish Thaakar, Sophos Sales Director for Africa, said his company has pooled strategies to stay ahead of threats.

In a recent interview with Daily Sun, he said his company has been providing virtual defence services for many companies in nearly two decades.

Thaakar shared insights into the evolving threat landscape and what it takes to build a more secure digital future.

He also explained how Sophos is making a difference by combining cutting-edge AI technology with expert-led Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services. These solutions provide top-tier security, even for organisations without a large in-house cybersecurity team.

New security solutions for African market

Sophos is prioritising advanced, AI-powered solutions designed to protect against the most dominant threats in Africa, particularly ransomware, phishing, and data breaches. Solutions like Sophos Intercept X (with XDR), Sophos Email Security, and Sophos Firewall are at the forefront, offering layered, intelligent defenses. Most notably, Sophos Managed Detection and Response (MDR) is gaining strong traction in Nigeria for its ability to proactively detect and neutralize attacks 24/7.

Applying AI and machine learning in fighting cyberattack trends

AI and machine learning are deeply embedded in our products, enabling us to predict, detect, and respond to both known and unknown threats faster and more accurately. Our deep learning neural networks analyze billions of signals to spot subtle malicious behaviours, while our Sophos X-Ops team integrates intelligence from across our platform to continuously improve threat detection and response capabilities.

Sophos’s MDR

Recent enhancements to Sophos MDR now allow customers to integrate third-party security tools, creating a more unified threat response framework, which is especially valuable for large Nigerian enterprises. We’ve also improved Sophos Central’s usability and automation features, and introduced capabilities like Data Lake querying and cross-product correlation to accelerate threat investigations and compliance reporting.

Bridging cybersecurity skills gap in Africa

We are tackling the cybersecurity skills gap in three key ways: partner training and certifications – we provide ongoing technical enablement to help partners build advanced expertise; MDR-as-a-service; Sophos MDR allows organizations to outsource threat hunting to our expert teams, reducing the burden on in-house staff, and through educational partnerships we’re expanding collaborations with local institutions to help develop the next generation of cybersecurity talent.

Partnerships with local tech institutions

Yes, we are actively exploring and developing partnerships with universities and technical institutes in Nigeria to offer cybersecurity awareness programs, hands-on labs, and career-building certifications. Our goal is to support long-term workforce development that meets the growing demand for skilled security professionals across West Africa.

Sophos’ success stories

While we respect client confidentiality, we’ve supported banks, telcos, fintechs, and public sector agencies in Nigeria to stop ransomware, secure cloud migrations, and meet compliance requirements. These organizations have seen reduced attack surface, faster incident response, and greater operational efficiency by using Sophos Central and MDR.

Biggest growth sectors for Sophos’ solution in Nigeria

The financial services sector continues to lead in security investment, but we’re also seeing rapid adoption in public sector, education, healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics. As digital transformation accelerates, businesses in these sectors are prioritizing cybersecurity as a core business enabler.

Sophos’ short- and long-term plans in Nigeria and others

In the short term, we’re focusing on partner enablement, MSP growth, and MDR adoption. Long-term, our aim is to establish Nigeria as a regional center of excellence for cybersecurity, with deeper investments in local talent, institutional partnerships, and public-private collaboration to improve national resilience.

Building a more cyber-resilient society in Nigeria

We believe that cybersecurity is a shared responsibility. That’s why we invest in community education, thought leadership, and awareness initiatives, often in partnership with our channel network. Our tools, like free ransomware recovery kits and threat intelligence reports, are made available to help all organizations, regardless of size, raise their cyber defenses.

Advice to Nigerian companies and IT professionals on cyber threats

Take steps to eliminate common technical and operational root causes of attacks, such as exploited vulnerabilities. Tools like Sophos Managed Risk can help companies access their risk profile and minimize their exposure. Ensure all endpoints (including servers) are well-defended with dedicated anti-ransomware protection. Also, you need to have an incident response plan in place and tested for when things go wrong. Have good backups and practice restoring data regularly.

I will also say that companies need around-the-clock monitoring and detection. If they do not have the resources in-house for this, they can work with a trusted managed detection and response (MDR) provider.