Cybersecurity in South Africa
March 2026
IT in Manufacturing
For cyber risk in South Africa the question is not ‘if’ but ‘when’, and a company can very easily find itself offline for more than a week. Attackers can exploit vulnerabilities to penetrate the network and the encrypted backups, effectively negating the value of its nightly backups and leaving it in operational limbo. The risk of a successful cyberattack today isn’t an ‘if’. It is not dependent on the size of the business or the market in which it operates. Managing these threats comes down to having the right tools in place to detect and respond to them fast enough to protect the business.
Mohammed Pochee, product manager for security at Vox.
South Africa experienced more than six million online attack attempts and 10,3 million malware incidents in the first half of 2025. According to BDO’s Global Risk Landscape Report, companies in the country are facing around 2113 attacks a week at an increase of 14% a year. Over the past year, Interpol has reported 230 million detected cyberthreats, of which 219 million were malware related, with ransomware and phishing at the top.
This is why companies want security solutions that put them on a significantly more stable footing. They want a cybersecurity service capable of outperforming traditional security systems such as security information and event management (SIEM), antivirus software and managed security service providers (MSSPs), and which gives them more confidence and control over their security posture.
Managed detection and response (MDR) has been that solution. Offering companies the ability to outsource their detection and response engine for 24/7 visibility and reduced dwell time, MDR is slowly changing cybersecurity from a cost centre to a strategic enabler. Globally, the MDR market is forecast to grow from around $4,19 billion in 2025 to $11,30 billion by 2030. Among the drivers for this growth are the increasingly sophisticated nature of attacks, the shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals, and a regulatory environment that is constantly changing and evolving. Proactive monitoring is essential.
South African companies are dealing with the pressures of escalating ransomware and phishing incidents as well as a shortage of cyber talent. They also have to deal with new standards, such as the Joint Standard on Cybersecurity and ICT Risk Management, which have been effective from June 2025. This compels companies to adopt formal cyber-resilience plans, incident response protocols, and board-level oversight aligned with the King IV Report on governance principles. Companies are caught in a triple bind of complex threats, less internal capacity, and elevated governance and regulation.
It makes sense in light of the above numbers to have a solution that has a positive track record. A recent Accenture report found that on performance metrics, AI-embedded MDR reduced incident triage time by up to 60% and incident recovery time by 45%, outperforming legacy MSSP and SIEM models in measurable response efficiency.
MDR takes the overwhelming volume of alerts and noise that flood traditional systems and turns them into actionable intelligence. It blends automation and human expertise so that threats are not only identified, but contextualised and prioritised. The model does not replace security teams, it amplifies them and gives companies the coverage of a fully staffed 24/7 security operations centre (SOC) without the complexity or cost.
MDR is helping leadership teams make security a visible and strategic function. It provides the kind of continuous insight that helps with business decisions, budgets and boardroom priorities. As cyber threats evolve faster than most organisations can recruit, train or retain the expertise they need, MDR has become the practical middle ground between control and capability.
For more information contact Mohammed Pochee, Vox, +27 87 805 0000, [email protected], www.vox.co.za
Further reading:
Even in autonomous systems, human insight is important
Schneider Electric South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
As AI, IIoT and digital twins reshape industrial operations, Schneider Electric’s Kobus Vermeulen and Bafana Msibi argue that the operator’s role is shifting from controlling equipment to interpreting intelligence, validating AI recommendations and making decisions that improve
Read more...
AI-based quality inspection scales across P&G operations
Siemens South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Siemens and Procter & Gamble are expanding an AI-based visual inspection system across P&G’s manufacturing operations worldwide, inspecting products in real time at full line speed, and reducing scrap rates by 10 to 20% depending on the product.
Read more...
How sustainability unlocks real business impact
Rockwell Automation
IT in Manufacturing
Sustainability has moved from a compliance obligation to a strategic driver of resilience and value for manufacturers. Rockwell Automation explains how its Triple A framework and connected-data approach help producers cut energy, water and waste while improving productivity.
Read more...
Mining’s AI future will depend on people as well as technology
IT in Manufacturing
South Africa’s mining industry is embracing digitalisation and AI, but AvenirHoldings chief executive officer, Tshidi Mndzebele says the real test is whether the people behind the industry are equipped to move forward with it, and outlines five things mining needs to get right.
Read more...
How BIC overcame operational silos to integrate technology and people
Rockwell Automation
IT in Manufacturing
Manufacturing giant BIC deployed Plex MES from Rockwell Automation at its Bizerte plant in Tunisia, replacing fragmented, partly in-house software with a single cloud-based execution system that broke operational silos and improved shop-floor visibility.
Read more...
AI in industry is an early warning system, not a guarantee
Schneider Electric South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Schneider Electric’s Paul Steyn argues that AI in industrial maintenance is only as good as the infrastructure and people behind it, and explains the three layers a facility needs before predictive maintenance can deliver on its promise.
Read more...
SA’s mining industry must put people at the heart of its digital future
IT in Manufacturing
South Africa’s mining industry employs around 470 000 people while its digital transition accelerates. Avenir’s chief executive officer, Tshidi Mndzebele argues that technology should enable and upskill the workforce rather than replace it, setting out five ways mining can make technology work for its people.
Read more...
Quality control supports efficient tissue production
Valmet South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Valmet’s advanced quality control technology is helping tissue producers improve product consistency while reducing energy and raw material consumption. Its latest installation at KORO Paper in Vietnam combines real-time measurement, process optimisation and non-contact, nuclear-free quality control.
Read more...
Patented algorithm maximises operator efficiency
Rockwell Automation
IT in Manufacturing
Rockwell Automation piloted a patented anomaly detection algorithm and FactoryTalk DataMosaix at its Twinsburg electronics plant, giving operators 30 to 60 days’ advance warning of stencil failure, improving fail rates by 22% and achieving a 200% return on investment.
Read more...
Cybersecurity must become part of the next era of industrial automation
Adroit Technologies
IT in Manufacturing
The EU’s Cyber Resilience Act is setting a global benchmark for connected products, making cybersecurity a core engineering requirement in industrial automation. Adroit Technologies and Mitsubishi Electric explain how building security into controllers, PLCs and drives from the outset helps South African manufacturers protect production and meet international expectations.
Read more...
printer friendly version