Data breaches in various organisations have become a major financial and operational concern, with an average breach now costing organisations an average of $5 million per incident.
Also worrisome is that exposure increases by about $1,100 for every hour an adversary remains undetected.
Francis Anyaegbu, Specialist Adoption Architect at Red Hat, who made these revelations at the Pestra Tech Day event held recently in Lagos with the theme: ‘Closing the Fire Safety Gap in Nigeria’s Built Environment’, also pointed to a 1,500 per cent surge in deepfakes, the spread of unmonitored ‘Shadow AI,’ and the emerging threat that quantum computing poses to conventional encryption.
For businesses, the nation and state levels, the figures highlight the growing importance of rapid threat detection, strong cybersecurity systems and effective incident response.
Anyaegbu, who spoke on ‘Intelligent Security and the Quantum Challenge’, advised organisations to move beyond traditional perimeter-based controls towards open, quantum-safe architectures built on digital trust, machine-speed defence and stronger visibility over automated AI agents and connected systems, highlighting post-quantum cryptography, digital sovereignty and tighter AI governance as foundations for long-term resilience.
‘At the nation and state level, and at the corporate level, companies need to update and adjust their IT and OT security strategy to ensure that not only do they protect their data today from these attacks, but also that in the future, they are able to protect their data from such incidents.’
Also speaking on security, Hanwha Vision’s Regional Manager for Africa, Bassy Omar, examined the growing role of artificial intelligence in modern security operations, highlighting advances in intelligent video surveillance, video analytics, licence plate recognition, thermal imaging and related technologies designed to help organisations detect threats earlier, improve situational awareness and respond more effectively to security incidents.
Opening the discussions earlier, Paul Nwokolo, Managing Director of Pestra Ltd, organizer of the event, said Pestra Tech Day was conceived as more than a product showcase. He described it as a forum for examining technology in practical terms, bringing together the people who design, specify, regulate, deploy and use critical safety, security and communication systems.
Samuel Olumode, Controller General of the Federal Fire Service, who dwelt on the topic: ‘Closing the Fire and Life Safety Gap in Nigeria’s Built Environment’, placed fire detection and prevention at the heart of the discussion.
He emphasised the need to narrow the gap between modern building requirements and the systems, practices and professional capacity needed to protect lives and property. His address reinforced the wider purpose of the event – to look beyond individual products and consider how safety systems are designed, specified, integrated, maintained and used throughout the life of a building.
Olumode revealed that in Nigeria, property worth N74.8 billion was lost to fire incidents in 2025. Within the year, assets worth N935 billion were saved from fire incidents, while 114 lives were lost.
He said a total of 1,866 fire incidents occurred in 2025, while a total of 2,106 lives were affected.
He said more often than not, these fire occurrences are the consequences of negligence, poor maintenance, substandard installations, and a culture that still treats fire safety as an afterthought rather than a non-negotiable requirement.
Ziad Hafez, Senior Territory Manager at Honeywell Technologies, highlighted developments across the firm’s life-safety portfolios, including advanced fire detection, intelligent alarm systems and connected life-safety solutions designed to support earlier warning, faster emergency response and more resilient buildings.
He also underscored Honeywell’s collaboration with Pestra to strengthen access to its fire, life-safety and security technologies in Nigeria, providing consultants, system integrators and end users with a dependable local channel for genuine products, backed by appropriate technical and after-sales support.
The presentations pointed to a broader convergence in building technology. Physical security, fire protection, communications, operational systems and cybersecurity are increasingly expected to function as parts of the same connected environment rather than as isolated disciplines. As buildings become more software-driven and AI-enabled, resilience depends not only on what systems can detect and automate, but also on how securely they exchange, process and protect data.