Technology: Now is the time to be vigilant about cyber risks today and tomorrow

The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic is changing work patterns and straining organizations' IT infrastructure, especially as more and more people are forced to work remotely. At the same time, new concerns about technology resilience and the threat of malware and ransomware attacks are emerging. These issues show how societal disruptors can impact operational health and IT architecture, but also illustrate how organizations with a strategic approach to technology use technology as a resilience factor and a key driver. competitive advantage.

The importance of a strategic approach

So how do companies move the efficiency of their IT infrastructure from reaction to action? Studies show that cybersecurity should be seen as a central element of business continuity and resilience, rather than just a measure of protection against anonymous computer crime. Firms with a strategic rather than an operational approach to cybersecurity are more resilient to the pressures of cyberthreats.

Work supported by the Willis research network has reviewed the resilience of organizations in terms of security. cybersecurity in order to understand how to better put cybersecurity at the top of organizations' thinking. The study shows that the most resilient organizations are those where senior executives see cybersecurity as a strategic opportunity for the business as a whole, rather than as an operational cost of managing IT risk behind the scenes. We can see that competitive advantage and business strategy become more robust when an organization's approach and response to a cyber attack can be linked to the role that technology plays in the strategic thinking of the business. .

Implications for Work – Today and Tomorrow

For organizations, it is time to be vigilant about cyber risks given the increased possibilities offered to hackers and the use of working from home at levels unpublished. Secure networks and good IT hygiene are, as always, essential to help limit cyber risks.

Now is also the time to consider that the unprecedented shift to a mobile workforce and the sudden and increased demand technical skills to deal with new cyberthreats are opening up a longer-term trend in the future of work.

The resilience of companies depends on how quickly they can redeploy and retrain talent, but also on efficiency. with which they can combine technology with a wide range of work possibilities (full-time workers, part-time workers, contractors, freelancers, recruitment agencies, consultants, etc.). The pace of change, evolution and the emergence of new technological offerings are a source of pride for many. The pandemic once again confirms the need for data security and artificial intelligence (AI) for many organizations.

AI demonstrates, for example, the power that strategically positioned technology can have to develop at home. both direct responses to COVID-19 and resilience more generally.

The technological opportunity and the scale of the challenge also motivate new forms of collaboration. News that five organizations have agreed to publish a dataset of more than 29,000 scientific journals relating to the coronavirus to help spur developments in data mining and AI techniques demonstrates, for example, the power that may have technology strategically positioned to develop both direct responses to COVID-19 and resilience more broadly.

In the coming months, technological solutions to keep services running, businesses running and businesses running. healthy people will be the key to our collective response. The ability of technology to deliver innovative solutions quickly and efficiently is at the heart of many operational plans in the business world. However, companies that have a strategic vision of the role of technology may well gain a greater advantage in the difficult times ahead, as we must discover new ways of working.