BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 18. Azerbaijan's e-commerce sector has developed intensively, which raises an issue of cybersecurity improvement, Trend reports via the sixth edition of the EU Business Climate Survey.
“Shifting business processes online and intensifying e-commerce remains one of the most common ways for the private sector to sustain the business during the COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions and uncertainty of economic development,” the report said.
The report also noted that Azerbaijan's e-commerce sector recorded continuous growth in 2021. Mainly, it reached 3.2 million euros from January through November 2021, which is an increase of 78 percent year-on-year.
Thus, as online operations among businesses grow, there is a need to bring more attention to cybersecurity at the national policy level and raise awareness on this subject, the EU research noted.
Meanwhile, according to the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) prepared by International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Azerbaijan took fortieth place among 194 countries in 2020, which is better than the neighboring Georgia and Iran.
As the researchers noted, currently, there is no state policy document that could define the priority areas of cybersecurity in Azerbaijan. However, the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport aims to raise awareness and improve the skills of the population and the private sector.
According to the survey, today, EU companies in Azerbaijan feel neutral about digital security and see room for further improvement.
“The entities see this aspect as growing its importance, emphasizing a need for stronger development and raising awareness of the private sector on secure digital work,” the survey mentioned.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @mariiiakhm