With the Internet's widespread growth, South Africa has become quite dependent on it for economic affairs. This sharing of self-generated data is a boon to all business transactions and even social interactions. The increased dependence on the digital world raises significant concerns about cyber security. Cybercrime is a global problem that has affected South Africa, both in the private sector and in government.

Whether you’re a startup, an e-commerce company, or a large corporation, as long as you handle credit card transactions, you need to be aware of and comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). As online commerce and online payment technology continue to grow, they need to be accompanied by new rules and regulations to make sure that both the business and the customers are safe and secure.

Most companies are unconcerned about credit card theft until it happens to them. If you sell online or by e-mail, your company is more likely to go bankrupt owing to fraudulent credit card orders. Given the increased reliance on plastic money, credit card theft is extremely damaging. Even consumers, fail to take basic precautions to avoid credit card theft.

Anyone reading this post will have at least dipped their toes into the world of cloud services. As a result of this massive growth, the world of compliance has spent much of the last decade catching up with the implications of cloud services.

In November 2021, the U.S. Department of Defense significantly updated its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) framework to incorporate new cybersecurity requirements for DoD contractors. In particular, CMMC 2.0 Level 1 (Foundational) contractors must now perform annual self-assessments, and Level 2 (Advanced) contractors must perform annual self-assessments for selected programs.

Cyber security is an important aspect and an integral part of any online business. The layperson has little idea of what threats exist and how to protect against them. And yet, if you own a business you are almost definitely vulnerable to cyber security threats. You don’t need to be a Fortune 500 company to protect against them. By knowing what to do, you can keep your data secure and avoid breaches.