Making Cybersecurity More Affordable for MSMEs
Often, cybersecurity tends to require major investment which MSMEs find too heavy to bear; costs and technical complexities are major barriers. But, of course, through this partnership, Safaricom has indeed become Africa's first managed services provider for Cloudflare's cybersecurity solutions, offering world-class protection to businesses at just a fraction of the cost. Kenyan businesses can now access cybersecurity services from just KES 5,000 per site—a price point way cheaper than traditional solutions.
Safaricom Chief Enterprise Business Officer Cynthia Kropac elaborated on how this strategic partnership could be a game changer, as Safaricom now offers a "one-stop shop" for connectivity and technology solutions. This means businesses of all sizes can now protect themselves from ever-evolving cyber threats by offering a suite of digital security tools, minus the expensive infrastructure and professional services.
Bringing Global Technology to the Local Market
Cloudflare's advanced technology, such as Zero Trust services and email security, will be hosted in local Kenyan data centers for speed and security to Safaricom's customers. With Cloudflare having proven that it can process over 248TB of processing capacity, 30 times more than the nearest competitor, MSMEs in Kenya should have no doubt about the scale and robust nature of their cybersecurity defenses.
For businesses that are new in the digital space, this is critical to ensure that their operations online are protected. This offering, therefore, was an important milestone in ensuring that business owners can focus on productivity, growth, and service delivery without being overburdened with intricacies related to cybersecurity, said Graham Turnbull, Managing Executive at Cloudflare.
A Strategic Step for Safaricom's Vision
It is a security partnership that seeks to enable Kenyan MSMEs to strive digitally. This puts together the extensive local market knowledge that Safaricom has and Cloudflare's global expertise, bound to change the face of small businesses on the digital platform. This places Safaricom at an important position where it empowers the Kenyan economy by opening up access to cybersecurity affordably.
This is also a testament to Safaricom's commitment to driving digital transformation in Kenya. "This service will empower businesses of all sizes to scale confidently with secure, fast, and reliable digital infrastructure," said Vishal Patel, Managing Director of Copycat.
Empowering MSMEs Toward a Secure Digital Future
Therefore, Safaricom, Cloudflare, and Copycat are setting a new pace for MSMEs here in Kenya. In this regard, such partnership avails the said entity with cybersecurity solutions at affordable costs, addressing one of the major challenges that businesses face when embracing digital transformation. It's not just an upgrade in technology; this fundamentally changes how Kenyan businesses can work in the global digital economy.
This pioneering partnership cements Safaricom's position in supporting the growth and sustainability of MSMEs in Kenya through protection and equipping them with tools for success. With Safaricom, cybersecurity is becoming more accessible, enabling these businesses to confidently step into their digital futures.