Technological Advancement and the Implications for Leaders

A few weeks ago my daughter was in the hospital. She had to be admitted for a number of days and of course taking a 5 year old and placing her in an unfamiliar environment for more than two hours can be quite a task, much less having to remain in the hospital for nearly a week. Naturally my daughter began to feel homesick and missed her brothers and sister (who were not allowed to visit the hospital due to a recent outbreak of the RSV virus in Central California the hospital prohibits anyone under age 13 to entire into certain areas of the hospital). My daughter often began to complain rather frequently that she wanted to go home and she missed her family. My Mother-In-Law had the dual task of watching not only my children (when my wife and I both needed and wanted to be in the hospital with our youngest child) but she also had the responsibility of caring for her aging father who is 96 years old and not nearly as mobile as he was even a year earlier. He asked daily how my daughter was in the hospital and we thought it would be a great idea for him to Face Time with her and see for himself. After communicating with her for several minutes with the whole family either in the hospital or at his side absorbing the monumental moment of the family’s eldest member conversing with the youngest member using an IPad tablet was indeed quite the sight to behold.

            As I reflect on technological advancements and how they have transformed our personal lives I would be remiss if I did not also consider the ramifications and benefits of devices, web platforms, social media and techniques that have been designed to simplify our lives. Technology is evolving at a rapid pace. In fact, some may argue too fast. In a business trip last week to Silicon Valley I had an in depth  conversation with two programmers from a new company called Fireeye which is a security protection company that detects and shuts down next level cyber-attacks. Intrigued, I started asking numerous questions and among them I asked what separates Fireeye from, McAfee and Symantec. Of course they were happy to explain but to be frank I was sorry I asked about 30 seconds into their response because programmers speak another language entirely and although they were very enthusiastic about their organizations growth, hiring former McAfee CEO to take their company through their impending IPO and beyond, I had no idea what they were talking about. Likely sensing the glazed look over my eyes, they simplified the technical jargon just enough for me to understand. They did say something that resonated with me, “we have developed technology to stay two steps ahead of phishing attacks, malware or other viruses that can immobilize corporations and the U.S. government.” I immediately thought ‘whoa, I’m impressed.’ Fireeye doesn’t typically work with the average consumer. To the average consumer a company like McAfee, a virtual private network or Norton may suffice but banking institutions, universities, fortune five hundred companies, airlines, and government entities require much more protection from cyber-attacks. That’s where companies like Fireeye come in.

            As leaders of companies like Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, or the local credit union they must be vigilant in preventing cyber threats. If a hacker can disarm advanced encrypted code and steal millions of dollars or implant a virus that can cost a company billions in lost revenue then a leader must be cognizant of those threats. Staying ahead of cyber threats means staying ahead of the bad guys.  Which is easier said than done. During my conversation with Fireeye programmers they said, cyber-attacks globally is the new wild west and unfortunately many of the bad guys out there are more knowledgeable than most large corporations. One of the programmers continued stating many of the threats are not some foreign entity seeking to disarm Americas digital infrastructure (although that is possible) most threats are from pimple faced teenagers sitting in their bedroom or garage cracking codes, implanting viruses and rewriting programs to cause a company to virtually collapse. Most leaders are either not cognizant or those threats or are reactive rather than proactive and would much rather fix a threat then spend millions of dollars in revenue to protect themselves against an invisible threat. Most programmers who are skilled at writing code to develop the infrastructure that help to make their company successful are not experienced in creating security protection to prevent a cyber-attack.  Obviously, companies like Fireeye are on the rise as reports of cyber threats become much more prevalent on the news and social blogs.

            I think the future of technology will have an obvious emphasis on protective rights, laws that address privacy concerns and intellectual property will take center stage as threats to an organizations ability to operate effectively without theft will continue to be an issue.  As leaders it is critical to understand that the do become complacent towards cyber threats that will be the beginning of the end of that organization.

            Google is a perfect example of a company that remains constantly aware of global threats and how such threats can cripple a multibillion dollar organization. In a recent article on CNET a winner of the Google Glasses, tried to post them on EBay and the seller was not only attack by Google Glass enthusiasts but also learned that Google my very well put a restriction on the device should you try to let someone else buy or even borrow them. The reason, privacy concerns or issues regarding theft or misuse may force black market sales of the item to soar and could ultimately cripple Google’s stock.  Google Glass if successful will revolutionize the way we think about communicating and obtaining information.  Although we the average consumer may not have a need for a company like Fireeye just yet (after all were are still amazed at the capabilities of an IPad), it is still important to be aware of threats that seek to cause damage to the infrastructure of the companies we work for.

Reference: Matsyczck,C. (2013). Google activist try to sabotage Google Glass auction. CNET, 12:04 p.m. April 20, 2013.  http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57580581-71/google-activists-try-to-sabotage-google-glass-auction/

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