VIA to commission AI-driven security operations and forensic centre
Indigenous firm, Virtual Infosec Africa Limited (VIA) will launch Africa’s largest and most advanced managed security and digital forensic services center in Accra next week to serve as a one-stop-shop for companies seeking quality cybersecurity solutions.
The state-of-the-art facility promises to transform how organizations across Ghana and the continent approach cybersecurity challenges by dramatically reducing costs while enhancing protection capabilities.
The company said in a press statement that the new centrE would slash cybersecurity expenditure for organizations by over 90 per cent by eliminating one-off capital investments. It would also reduce companies’ operational costs by more than 60%, the statement said, adding that the facility would be a significant leap forward for Ghana's digital security infrastructure, the company said in a press release to the media.
The launch of the managed security service comes at a time when critical information infrastructure (CII) and businesses across Ghana and Africa are under increasing threat from sophisticated cyberattacks.
Last week, thousands of MTN Ghana’s customers suffered a security breach after it suffered a cyber-attack that the company said might have compromised some data.
Cost efficiency mode
Virtual InfoSec Africa said the cost-efficiency of the forensic center’s model builds on VIA's successful implementation of the Bank of Ghana's Financial Industry Command Security Operations Center (FICSOC), which has demonstrated the effectiveness of centralized security services.
The company built and deployed the FICSOC, Africa’s first financial industry command center for the central bank in May 2023.
"This latest initiative represents our commitment to democratizing cybersecurity. We believe every organization, regardless of size or sector, deserves world-class digital protection without breaking the bank," the statement noted.
It noted that with the forensic center, VIA takes on the responsibility of establishing and maintaining an in-house security operations center by providing real-time monitoring, threat intelligence and incident response.
The company would also undertake security information and event management (SIEM) capabilities, compliance management, and vulnerability assessments from its next-generation cybersecurity hub, releasing clients to concentrate on their core businesses.
Early warning
The statement said VIA would also offer its arctic early warning service (EWS) free of charge to all organizations for three months as part of the launch.
It explained that the EWS is a real-time threat notification system that processes millions of threat observations daily, filtering out irrelevant alerts and providing actionable intelligence with a false-positive rate of less than two percent.
“The Arctic EWS continuously monitors external cyber threats specific to an organization's infrastructure, including domains, Internet protocol (IP) ranges, cloud assets, and vendors after which it generates clear, ready-to-use notifications about immediate security concerns without requiring specialized cybersecurity expertise to interpret.
"What makes this service particularly valuable is its ability to provide early detection of vulnerabilities, data leaks, and signs of compromise before significant damage occurs," the statement said.
Staffing
VIA said the new centrE would be staffed by highly trained cybersecurity professionals and equipped with AI-driven threat analytics and cutting-edge technologies.
It would offer comprehensive services, including real-time monitoring, threat intelligence, incident response, SIEM capabilities, compliance management, and vulnerability assessments.
It is expected that critical information infrastructure operators and businesses facing increasingly sophisticated cyber threats would find this development a pivotal moment, given the immerse benefits.
The shared infrastructure model means companies no longer need to invest heavily in building and maintaining in-house SOCs, potentially saving hundreds of thousands of cedis.
The statement said the centrE's services will be available to banks, telecommunications companies, government agencies, and private sector organizations across various scales.
As cyber threats continue to evolve in complexity and frequency, VIA's investment in this advanced security hub represents a significant step toward creating a more resilient digital ecosystem in Ghana and beyond.
It said organizations interested in the free three-month Early Warning Service can contact Virtual Infosec Africa Limited for registration details ahead of the May 2025 launch.