Master of Commerce in Leadership Studies graduate and privacy attorney Ms Sasha Beharilal’s research aimed to establish the level of cybersecurity awareness at small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs) against the backdrop of businesses continuing to accelerate their digital transformation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Given the increasing importance of cybersecurity measures during the pandemic, Beharilal’s study – supervised by Professor Cecile Gerwel Proches – sought to highlight the importance of businesses remaining vigilant about cyber threats and implement measures to mitigate them.
‘This is a multi-layered topic, it looks at the position of the SMEs in the economy, the cybersecurity awareness levels of decision-makers and the associated legal obligations of organisations to keep their systems secure,’ said Beharilal.
‘The COVID-19 pandemic was a challenge, because it delayed the academic process, however it also added to my dissertation as the pandemic increased our reliance on the internet with so much shopping, work and banking being done online. This opened up a multitude of risk that both businesses and individuals had to be to be aware of. It was an interesting topic and with its relevance becoming more apparent, I was able to keep up the momentum.’
Beharilal, who is the Compliance and Regulatory Manager at Mweb, holds BCom Law and LLB degrees. She is a firm believer of lifelong learning which is right in line with the thinking of her father, UKZN’s Principal Librarian Dr Richard Beharilal.
She says she was motivated to study for an MCom in Leadership degree as she wanted to gain a good understanding of business and its processes.
‘I believe that the legal and compliance function is a partner to business. Professionally, having a master’s degree does show people that you have grit and expertise. I believe that having a masters in leadership can only propel you into leadership positions,’ she added.
Words: Thandiwe Jumo
Photograph: Supplied