Cybersecurity Doesn't Have to Cost Anything: Free Tools for Nairobi Businesses

In our research, cost came up as the single biggest reason businesses put off cybersecurity — six out of every ten people we spoke to named it directly. That's a real barrier, and it deserves a real answer, not just "it's worth the investment." So here's a list of genuinely free, reputable tools that cover the basics, with no catch.

For passwords:

• Bitwarden or KeePassXC — free password managers that mean you (and your staff) never reuse the same weak password across every account again.

For two-factor authentication:

• Aegis Authenticator (Android) — a free app for generating the login codes that make MFA actually work, without paying for a premium authenticator app.

For checking if your accounts have already been exposed:

• Have I Been Pwned — a free, well-known service that tells you if an email address has appeared in a known data breach.

For basic risk tracking, if you're past the very smallest stage:

• SimpleRisk — a free, open-source tool for keeping a simple written record of what could go wrong and what you're doing about it. More useful once you have a few systems to track than for a one-person operation.

For backups:

• Most platforms you already use — Google Workspace, your phone's cloud backup — have backup features built in for free. The fix often isn't a new tool; it's actually turning on what you already have and checking it works.

One honest caveat: free tools solve the "we can't afford anything" problem, but they still take a little time to set up properly. If time, not money, is your actual barrier, that's a different problem — and it's one Cybersentinel's short training lessons are built to solve in a few minutes at a time, not a weekend project.