In Australia and New Zealand, Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) are facing numerous challenges and cybersecurity is one of the prominent challenges in recent years. The recent global pandemic has made cybersecurity more challenging for SMEs as they are forced to move their operations online with little or no warning or training due to health restrictions and government regulations to ensure the safety of lives. SMEs are a critical part of the economy of Australia and New Zealand, contributing over 20% to both of their GDPs. Despite the value they add to the economy, they are facing cybersecurity issues threatening not only their productivity but existence. It is, therefore, important to examine these challenges and provide effective recommendations to policy makers and business owners so that these businesses can stay protected in these challenging times and beyond.
Academic Staff Member Tukunga Akoranga Learning Delivery at Open Polytechnic
Dr Samuel Ekundayo is a Lecturer at the Information Technology department of the Open Polytechnic. He holds a Ph.D. in Business Information Systems from Auckland University of Technology (AUT), New Zealand; a Master of Science in Knowledge Management from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore and a Bachelor's degree from Coventry University (CU), United Kingdom in Engineering Business Management. Before becoming a full-time academic, Samuel was an Agile Business Analyst and a Senior Technical Analyst at renowned New Zealand brands. He has experience in Payment technologies (Ecommerce) and Software development (particularly Mobile and Web).
Samuel has had the opportunity of teaching at various institutions in New Zealand including Victoria University of Wellington, Eastern Institute of Technology and Auckland University of Technology. His current research interests include Cybersecurity, Social media, ICT for development and Software development. He teaches across various courses including Systems Analysis and Design, Software Development, Software Engineering and Data Analytics.