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/
|
Privacy…It’s an issue that’s most frequently debated as an academic point, a commercial legal issue, a constitutional question of “right”. Yet this past week, I cannot help but think that many people shared my thoughts on the questions of privacy and the pervasive nature of technology. I don’t want anyone, anywhere violating my privacy. Yet am I grateful that the Tsarnaev brothers had what might be considered their privacy rights “violated?” I am overjoyed.
ReplyDeleteHerein are great questions for leaders in the coming years. Do we understand the interaction between group and individual in today’s society? Does the ability to use Kelly’s six verbs affect us more positively or negatively?
By creating a greater community, we surrender our privacy. By broadcasting our individuality, we thrust ourselves into an unknown group. Rather than call that that group by any specific name that connotes collective interest, for in this case the group is so vast in does not imply narrow interests, I’ll call the larger group the Accessible. Once we become part of the Accessible, we allow all six of Kevin Kelly’s verbs to act on us as well as act for us.
Leaders (and followers) will need to know when to make the distinction; are we being “acted on” or “acted for.”
Tom, you make an interesting point about the Boston bombing suspects having their rights violated. Interestingly, our media went from being overjoyed that the suspect was captured to concern that his Miranda warnings were not read. Unreal.
DeleteExcellent post, Aubrey (...and I hope your youngest is on the road to recovery...). Tom hits some significant issues as well. As leaders, how do we balance openness with privacy, trust with intellectual property, the good of the company against the good of the individual or the good of society. As Mike Wesch pointed out in THE MACHINE IS (US)ING US...we have lots of words we need to rethink.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Yes she is doing quite well. I agree it is quite a problem to create products and services for the common good, yet protect your own interest and the long term solvency of your company.
DeleteHumble Bee,
ReplyDeleteYou write, "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." I totally agree. So, what then is the role of leaders in this new global age? Hiring the right IT people? Directly overseeing the organization's protective software?
I ask because your post concentrates on the very real dangers of the cyber age. I like to live by the adage that "the buck stops here" in terms of leadership. If an organization's security was compromised, no doubt, fingers would point at the leader at some point. This is scary! Personally, I rely completely on IT people in our district to make sure we have the right protective software that is updated appropriately. Perhaps I should take a more active, hands-on role.
Your thoughts?
Aubrey: Your mention of FireEye, well, caught my eye. Our work on a contract covering nationwide IT support (full-suite)...and we are implementing it to protect the customer enterprise-wide. It is all the rage right now. You are spot on about most company's simply being unprepared, with many of the assets vulnerable.
ReplyDeleteRegarding privacy, I imagine we will all pay for a solution that protects our data.
Working in the DoD arena, I see many examples where "all data" is protected with a sledgehammer solution, useless data and sensitive data alike - same network solution applied to all. Did you you know that "in theater" the security of many classified PC's is a pad-lock on a door in a tent? Maybe FireEye will turn out to be a more nimble and less "sledgehammer" in the way that data is secured.
Another new trend I see, particularly with the Army, is the full disk encryption of PCs, laptops, etc. (e.g. using Data Armor). Does your organization employ this tactic as well?
Rope, you are absolutely right IT protection and preventing cyber attacks is all the rage. However, most consumers are not overly concerned with potential threats unless it directly impact them. As consumers we tend to be much more reactive than proactive in terms of internet security.
DeleteHumble Bee,
ReplyDeleteGreat post with some real practical examples - hope your daughter is on the mend.
As for leaders, is it truly possible for us to be proactive rather than reactive?
I firmly believe that leaders can diligently seek out ways to avoid major issues but even the best leaders can overlook or not anticipate some things.
To me, I see the mission of staying ahead of the technological curve a lot like that tv show - person of interest.
I have personally never seen it but from what I hear, the basic premis is that with technology, they can profile and identify criminals and crimes before they occur.
While we can try and anticipate, I think technology may always be a step or two ahead in my opinion...
Thanks Jared, yes she doing very well.
Delete