The Country Manager of Zoho Nigeria, Mr Kehinde Ogundare, has urged Nigerian businesses to prioritise data security, privacy, access control and business continuity in their technology decisions.
Ogundare made the call during a fireside chat on data sovereignty and enterprise technology at the GrowthX by TechEconomy conference on Thursday in Lagos.
He said the call had become necessary as Nigeria moves towards stronger data localisation and sovereignty requirements.
According to him, data sovereignty should not be viewed by businesses merely as a regulatory requirement or a question of where data is physically hosted.
“It should also encompass who controls the data, how it is used, who can access it and whether the business can retrieve and use it when needed,” he said.
Ogundare said Nigerian businesses, particularly fintechs handling large volumes of sensitive customer information, must pay greater attention to the security and privacy implications of their technology platforms.
“Where does your data reside? This should be among the first questions businesses ask technology providers.
“Companies must also examine providers’ business-continuity arrangements to ensure their operations and data remain protected if a service provider experiences disruption or ceases operations,” he said.
Ogundare also stressed the need for internal access controls, noting that employees should only have access to information required for their specific responsibilities.
According to him, controlled access can enable collaboration between departments while reducing the risk of unauthorised access to sensitive business information.
He identified infrastructure, security, privacy, cost and scalability as key considerations for businesses adopting cloud and enterprise technology.
On the growing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), Ogundare cautioned businesses against deploying technologies without understanding how they would generate value for their operations.
He said companies could spend heavily on AI and other technologies without achieving meaningful improvements if the tools were poorly understood or unsuitable for their business processes.
The IT expert also highlighted trust as a major factor influencing technology adoption among Nigerian businesses.
He said enterprise technology providers must understand the local business environment and work with customers to identify their specific challenges before recommending solutions.
The Zoho boss said technology adoption should ultimately be driven by business value rather than simply following trends, adding that businesses should ensure the platforms they adopt can support customer retention, acquisition and other day-to-day operations.
“For a Nigerian company seeking to modernise its operations, there are three key questions to ask before adopting an enterprise cloud platform.
“Can the technology grow with the business? Can it integrate with existing operations? And will employees actually use it?” he said.
The IT expert explained that a technology solution that cannot scale with a growing business could become inadequate, while one that fails to integrate with existing systems could create additional operational challenges.
He further cautioned businesses against restructuring their entire operations simply to accommodate inflexible software.
According to him, technology should be adaptable enough to fit into business processes while helping organisations identify and optimise areas of weakness.
The discussion underscored the growing importance of data sovereignty, cybersecurity, privacy and practical technology adoption as Nigerian businesses increasingly rely on cloud platforms, AI and digital tools to scale their operations.
GrowthX by TechEconomy is an executive conference and dialogue platform focused on shaping Nigeria’s digital economy through strategic partnerships, infrastructure development and policy innovation.
