Press Release
GCA Partners with Mastercard and Mercy Corps Indonesia to Make Cybersecurity Accessible for Indonesian Small Businesses
Launches Bahasa Version of GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit for Small Business
Jakarta, Indonesia, January 27, 2021 – The Global Cyber Alliance (GCA), an international nonprofit dedicated to eradicating cyber risk, today joined the Mastercard Academy 2.0 to empower 100,000 Indonesians with the skills they need to succeed in the digital economy. In collaboration with the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and the Global Cyber Alliance will bring global cybersecurity tools and training to small businesses in Indonesia. With funding from the Mastercard Impact Fund, the Global Cyber Alliance has translated and adapted the GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit for Indonesia. Together with Mercy Corps’ MicroMentor digital platform, the Global Cyber Alliance is empowering small business owners to become the first line of defense against cyber threats. Via training and the toolkit, small business owners will learn why cybersecurity is relevant to all enterprises and how to protect their business assets.
Of the approximately 60 million businesses in Indonesia 99.9% are micro (1-4 employees), small, and medium businesses, the vast majority (98.75% ) of which are micro-businesses (1- 4 employees). These small businesses account for 76% of employment and make an important contribution to the Indonesia economy. Supporting good cybersecurity practices is an important part of helping small businesses manage their businesses, and help to protect from financial fraud, intellectual property theft, and employee and customer information from falling into the wrong hands. For many small businesses a cyberattack can be devastating: reputations damaged, financial losses, operations ceased, sensitive information compromised, or supply chains disrupted.
“As a technology company, Mastercard empowers Indonesian entrepreneurs with the skills and tools to protect themselves against cyber threats. We commit to bringing the best of global practices, international expertise, and world class tools to Indonesia to ensure Indonesians are protected from cyber threats that may originate from anywhere in the world. Our collaboration with the Global Cyber Alliance and Mercy Corps Indonesia is an important part of the Mastercard Academy 2.0, a future of workers skilling initiative that will help Indonesians of all ages to prosper in the digital economy,” says Navin Jain, Country Manager Mastercard Indonesia.
Small businesses are vulnerable to a myriad of cyber risks, ranging from phishing scams that result in financial fraud or delivery of malware that can disrupt business to ransomware that can irreparably cripple a business. The 2019 Hiscox Cyber Readiness report states that 47% of small firms reported at least one cyber attack and estimates the average cost of a cyber incident to a small business to be $200,000. While a large enterprise might survive a successful attack, for a small business a similar incident could be devastating. Understanding and knowing how to guard against cyber threats has become an important part of any business.
“Medium, small, and micro-sized businesses are the lifeblood of the world economy. We at GCA are excited to the bring the resources in our Cybersecurity Toolkit for Small Business to Indonesia, to help these businesses thrive even in the face of soaring cyber attacks,” said Philip Reitinger, President and CEO of GCA. “We think it is essential to make cybersecurity possible for anyone, and we are excited to deliver resources in Indonesia’s national language and with the support of local trainers provided by Mercy Corps Indonesia. We believe that this initiative will be a template for other nations, and we are grateful to Mastercard and Mercy Corps Indonesia for their leadership, support, and partnership.”
The GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit provides free and effective tools to reduce cyber risk. The tools are carefully selected and organized to make it easy to find and implement cybersecurity controls that will help small businesses defend themselves against cyber threats. The toolkit is designed for small to medium-sized businesses but can be used by any organization. By implementing the controls and best practices outlined in the toolkit, businesses can protect against more than 85% of common attacks, significantly reducing the risk landscape for themselves, their clients, and the entire commercial ecosystem.
Mercy Corps’ business mentoring platform MicroMentor, is a digital platform used by nearly 85,000 entrepreneurs and 34,000 mentors across 179 countries. MicroMentor Indonesia is the first mentoring platform available for free that connects Indonesian entrepreneurs with experienced professionals, who provide one-to-one mentoring as volunteers. Within one year of launching, 14,000 small business owners and volunteer mentors in Indonesia have registered on the platform. Of active users who connected with mentors, 89% of entrepreneurs experienced an increase in business revenue; 91% were able to survive their first year of operations; and 1,158 new jobs were created in Indonesia.
MicroMentor Indonesia will deliver the toolkit directly into the hands of small businesses through the Digital Acceleration Program for SMEs Business Mentors (SIGAP UMKM). In collaboration with the Government of Indonesia’s Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, SIGAP UMKM supports small businesses to survive and prosper during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. MicroMentor Indonesia will provide training on the toolkit to 200 master mentors in 34 provinces in Indonesia, who in turn will train 10,000 mentors throughout Indonesia. Through the MicroMentor Indonesia platform, 40,000 entrepreneurs will receive bespoke cybersecurity advice. Small businesses can access support on the GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit through the MicroMentor Indonesia platform (micromentor.org) and e-learning platform of the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs (edukukm.id).
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About the Global Cyber Alliance
The Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) is an international, cross-sector effort dedicated to eradicating cyber risk and improving our connected world. We achieve our mission by uniting global communities, implementing concrete solutions, and measuring the effect. Learn more at www.globalcyberalliance.org.
About Mastercard (NYSE: MA)
Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.
About Mercy Corps Indonesia and MicroMentor Indonesia
Mercy Corps Indonesia is a local non-profit organization based in Jakarta that helps communities recover from crisis and build resilience to create a world of opportunity. Our programs help people across Indonesia with the tools and support they need to build secure, productive and just communities. Mercy Corps Indonesia is part of Mercy Corps, a global team of humanitarians working on the front lines of today’s biggest crises to create a future of possibility, where everyone can prosper. In 2020 alone, we were able to reach more than 29 million people in more than 40 countries around the globe through our work. MicroMentor Indonesia is a free online business mentoring platform adopted from the global MicroMentor platform, a program of Mercy Corps.
Visit www.mercycorps.or.id for more information about Mercy Corps Indonesia.
