With Nigerian enterprises increasingly falling victim to sophisticated digital threats, global technology giant, HP is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to equip both large and small businesses with tools to proactively defend against growing cyberattacks.
The Managing Director of HP in Southern Africa, Yesh Surjoodeen, stated the cyberattacks, once assumed to be problems of only large multinationals, are now targeting businesses of all sizes in Nigeria, from financial institutions to manufacturers and government agencies.
He said a single breach can cost millions in legal fees, reputational damage, public relations management, and IT infrastructure upgrades, often disrupting operations and eroding customer trust.
“As organisations reel to manage response, the overall cost moves past the already expensive containment of the breach or covering for service disruptions – sometimes into millions of Naira. Even when overall operations are only marginally affected, indirect issues can occur that require funding, including legal fees, public relations advisory, overtime for IT teams, and upgrading security systems,” he stated.
Surjoodeen referenced cybersecurity firm Kaspersky report in May 2025, that ranked Nigeria among the top five countries in the Middle East and Africa experiencing a surge in ransomware attacks.
According to its State of Ransomware Report, 17.5 per cent of Nigerian users surveyed had been affected by web-based threats—many of them small and mid-sized businesses with limited security resources.
“As countries like Nigeria expand their digital economies, ransomware attacks are on the rise. Limited cybersecurity awareness and resources leave many organizations vulnerable, and the region remains behind global hotspots,” Kaspersky warned.
Surjoodeen said AI-powered solutions are transforming digital protection efforts across industries by embedding intelligent threat detection and response mechanisms directly to their devices. He said as more cyberterrorists use AI to manipulate their targets, IT companies are using the same technology to combat these new threats
“Every month, HP Solutions remediates over 11 million IT issues, keeping employees productive and IT teams focused on strategic initiatives and their core business,” he said.
According to Surjoodeen, HP’s approach aims to close this gap by embedding AI threat detection and response capabilities directly into their device architecture.
He explained that using intelligent algorithms, HP devices can monitor network traffic and user behaviour, detect anomalies, and adjust access controls dynamically—such as automatically tightening login protocols after multiple failed attempts.
Deloitte’s 2025 Cybersecurity Landscape in Nigeria report echoes HP’s concern, warning that no sector is immune and that proactive investment in smart cybersecurity solutions is critical. Yet many businesses still struggle to allocate adequate budget or talent for cyber defence.
“It is for this reason that more organisations are relying on smart, predictive IT that can help lower operational risk through the built-in tools in their new and existing infrastructure to meet their needs,” he explained.
Surjoodeen said HP Wolf Security is now integrated across it product ranges as its devices come with robust encryption and secure boot processes, which guards against malware, ransomware, and other advanced threats.
He said this is part of HP’s Workplace Experience (WXP) platform—an enterprise-grade tool that uses AI and analytics to monitor devices, anticipate performance issues, and improve employee support through a unified dashboard.
Surjoodeen added that IT managers can access tools like Fleet Explorer, which uses natural language queries to quickly identify and resolve tech issues, such as high memory utilisation causing performance lags.
As Nigeria pushes further into the digital economy, Surjoodeen said, enterprises that integrate AI-powered security solutions will be better positioned to withstand future threats.
“With the right tools, Nigerian enterprises can lead in the fight against cybercriminals,” he added.
