CEOs urged to pay attention to the tech-side of work

Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Director General, State Interest and Governance Authority, has called on government Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) to pay particular attention to the Information Technology side of their work.

He said times have changed and executives of these firms should make the effort to migrate from the old culture of paper work to the use of electronic mediums which delivered reports in real time.

Mr Asamoah Boateng said this would aid in the quick delivery of information and help monitor activities within their working space and time.

He said this at a Cyber Security Workshop held in Accra as part of activities to climax the Nation Cyber Security Awareness Month being held under the theme: "A Safer Digital Ghana".

Mr Boateng called for measures to tighten up cyber security systems to avoid possible leakage of vital information or loss of data.

He said they need to be proactive in handling challenges they encountered when using the internet.

Dr Albert Antwi-Boasiako, National Cyber Security Advisor, said the world or data was fast growing and to modernise the Ghanaian economy, it is important for heads of institutions to take the security of their electronic mediums seriously.

He said government is doing a lot in the area and the various institutions and agencies under the government must also put in an equal effort to digitize the nation.

Dr Antwi-Boasiako said across the globe many companies have lost vital information through loose cyber practices.

He said research states that the nation was ranked ninth on the country index of active users of social-media adding that it was a sign that the populace did much with the internet.

He said much education is needed for both government and private institutions to enhance good cyber cultures which include the use of original anti-virus to protect data.

"For data is gold, "he said.

He said cyber security checks is needed to ensure safety in the data world from time to time.

Mr Kwaku Kyei Ofori, Deputy Director General, National Information Technology Agency, said that some best practices such as having backup for data, having a strong password would protect the institution's devices from being compromised or exposed to hackers.

He advised participants to be careful not to share their passwords with third parties or mention it aloud as was the practice.

Lieutenant Colonel Elikem Fiamavle, Ghana Armed Forces, also demonstrated an example of a strong password which combines letters, numbers and special characters example: P@55w$rd.

He warned internet users to beware of download sites because some had features which could pose threats to the user.

He asked them to also be wary of Phishing emails and pay attention to their composition to avoid falling victim to persons with dubious intentions.