Cyber security firm Kaspersky has partnered with technology distributor Axiz to roll out a complete portfolio of cyber security solutions and services across SA and the SADC region.
In a statement, the companies said there is growing need to bolster cyber defences in these regions amid a rapidly evolving threat environment.
A key takeaway from the ITWeb Security Summit 2025, held recently in Johannesburg, was that while South African cyber security professionals have, for the most part, managed to keep up with changes in IT environments and cyber security trends, there is still a great deal of work to do.
According to Kaspersky, 17.5% of internet users in SA (around 8.75 million people) were exposed to online threats during the first three months of 2025.
At the annual ITWeb Security Summit 2025, hosted at the Cape Town International Convention Centre recently, Martin Koyabe, senior manager and technical lead at the Global Forum of Cyber Expertise (GFCE) Africa, said nearly 90% of organisations across the continent experienced a cyber security breach in the past year – many of which can be partly attributed to a shortage of skilled professionals.
Kerissa Varma, chief security advisor at Microsoft Africa, said: “South Africa is a major target due to the number of online businesses operating in the country. We’re blocking 1.6 million bot sign-up attempts every hour – these are bot armies trying to create accounts to perpetrate fraud.”
Varma referred to Interpol research, including reference to Checkpoint data, which states that in 2023, there was a 23% year-on-year increase in the average number of weekly cyber attacks per organisation in Africa.
Axiz and Kaspersky noted the partnership is effective immediately and will expand Axiz's cyber security offering – including tools for detection, response and protection against cyber threats.
The portfolio includes endpoint and mobile security, as well as advanced protection for operational technology (OT), internet of things (IOT), KVM (kernel-based virtual machine – open source virtualisation technology) environments, containerised workloads and cloud infrastructure.
Axiz partners can now transact through the Kaspersky channel programme, which follows a two-tier model designed to support resellers with a strong distribution network and structured enablement.
The companies believe all industries will benefit from this collaboration, particularly those previously under-protected, such as organisations reliant on OT, IOT and KVM technologies. Traditional enterprises and cloud-first businesses alike will gain access to Kaspersky’s solutions.
Kaspersky is making long-term investments across the continent to support the growth of its channel ecosystem and strengthen regional cyber defence capabilities.
“We are excited to welcome the Axiz team to our growing African channel,” said Chris Norton, GM for sub-Saharan Africa at Kaspersky. “We look forward to working with them to help customers across South Africa and the SADC region better quantify, analyse and protect themselves against the increasing threats posed by cyber crime. This partnership with Axiz enables us to provide streamlined access to our technologies and services and is an important step in making the continent a safer place.”
“Our goal is always to empower our partners with the most relevant and effective technologies to help them grow and protect their customers,” said Birgit Smythe, business unit manager – security, at Axiz. “Kaspersky is a great partner for that; it’s a respected global leader in cyber security with solutions designed to detect, respond to and defend against cyber threats.”
The partners aim to leverage Axiz's footprint and channel expertise to ensure that Kaspersky’s cyber security technology is more accessible, better supported and effectively integrated into the IT strategies of African organisations.
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