South Africa’s new Smart ID card is one of the most advanced IDs in the world, said the solutions director of LAWtrust, Maeson Maherry.

DURBAN - As European authorities reel from a mass ransomware cyber attack that also infected Britain’s National Health Service (NHS), local cyber experts say South African companies and government departments must brace themselves.

Legislation such as South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (PoPI) will affect each and every business. It will also affect all people within a business, from the CEO to the receptionist.

Data has become the lifeblood of modern life as everything from room temperatures and health records to banking details and WhatsApp messages are collected and stored.

Increasingly sophisticated threats to data security, coupled with the introduction of new legislation, is forcing companies to protect personal information and driving demand for cryptographic expertise.

Advanced electronic signatures were provided for in the ECT Act (2002), which defines two types of signatures – electronic, and advanced electronic.

Ensuring information security has recently become easier with the newly-forged partnership between South Africa’s LAWtrust, a specialist online security provider, and Nasdaq-listed email data protection company Zix Corporation (ZixCorp) (Nasdaq: ZIXI).

Conducting business in this day and age calls for secure mutual protection. The digital certificate, also known as digital ID, not only encrypts a strong identification, thereby putting an end to phishing and other security threats, it also allows for important documentation to be digitally signed.

Security doesn’t need to be a grudge purchase. With the right technologies, it can reduce costs and create new business opportunities.