Author

Dan Nichols

Published

23 January 2026

Estimated Read time

8Mins

Dan Nichols, Chief Technology Officer at virtualDCS, on why cloud resilience in the financial services sector hinges on shared accountability and an assume-breach philosophy

A powerful catalyst for transformation, the cloud is reshaping how organisations compete in the financial services sector. Beyond significant cost savings and flexibility, leaders are eager to unlock the potential of AI-driven insights, intelligent automation, and real-time business modelling. And, in a space governed so strictly by data sovereignty and privacy policies, the cloud’s ability to localise, encrypt, and control data has made it a key enabler of compliance and customer confidence.

But as threats become more frequent and sophisticated – with attackers now targeting shared platforms and partner supply chains – organisations can no longer rely on their own defences alone. For true digital resilience, shared accountability, collective readiness, and clear governance across every cloud touchpoint are equally non-negotiable.

All Eyes on the Money

The industry sits at a valuable intersection of data, technology, and finance. A combination that makes it uniquely attractive to attackers. It holds some of the world’s most sensitive data, directly underpins the flow of global capital, and operates through deeply complex and interconnected systems. With every integration increasing the risk of exposure. Ultimately, the attack motivation is as simple and relentless as it is in most sectors: monetary gain. Cybercriminals target institutions precisely because of the value at stake and the speed at which disruption translates to loss.

How the Threat Landscape is Evolving

Ransomware groups may see insurers and payment providers as high-yield targets. They understand even seconds of downtime can induce multi-million pound losses. Under pressure to protect customer trust and avoid regulatory penalties, some firms may choose to pay in order to restore their service quickly. This dangerous perception only encourages repeat targeting and paves the way for damage to spread even further. Yet it remains a common response tactic among many.

At the same time, the rise of supply chain and third-party attacks has made it possible for criminals to bypass even the most well-defended cloud environments. By exploiting shared platforms, managed service providers, and cloud-hosted applications, perpetrators can move laterally across multiple organisations at once, amplifying both the reach and impact of their attacks. In other words, infiltrating one vendor’s weakness can cripple an entire network in one carefully coordinated strike. And, since some firms may overlook the cloud’s shared responsibility model – presuming end-to-end security sits solely with their cloud provider – multiple blind spots can inevitably emerge, creating easy openings to exploit.

In an environment where boundaries blur and dependencies multiply, traditional perimeter-based defences are no longer enough. Hybrid and multi-cloud infrastructures demand continuous visibility, faster detection, and coordinated response across every partner and provider. The goal is not simply to prevent breaches, but to withstand and recover from them collectively. It’s about recognising that in today’s ecosystem, no financial institution is secure in isolation.

Inside the Ransomware Economy

Evolving beyond the scattergun attacks of the past, ransomware now operates as a professionalised, profit-driven ecosystem, where malicious actors collaborate, trade intelligence, and lease attack tools much like legitimate software vendors. The rise of ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) has even lowered the barrier to entry, giving less skilled affiliates access to ready-made payloads and automated encryption kits in exchange for a percentage of the ransom.

What makes it especially destructive is the precision and psychology behind the attacks. Rather than randomly striking, attackers conduct weeks of reconnaissance – learning behaviours, studying employee hierarchies, and identifying systems most critical to operations. They often infiltrate through phishing emails or compromised credentials, quietly moving laterally through the network to gain elevated access. Once embedded, they disable defences, exfiltrate sensitive data, and target backup repositories before finally encrypting production systems.

At that point, the goal shifts from technical control to financial coercion. Victims are locked out of their systems and presented with a ransom note demanding payment, sometimes in cryptocurrency, in exchange for a decryption key. Increasingly, the threat includes public exposure of stolen data – a tactic designed to pressure leadership into paying to protect their reputation and customer trust. Even when ransoms are paid, recovery is rarely clean: data may be incomplete, corrupted, or resold on the dark web, and repeat targeting is common once an organisation is identified as a payer.

It’s this blend of stealth, strategy, and human manipulation that makes ransomware so difficult to defend against. By the time the encryption begins, attackers have already spent weeks ensuring recovery options are limited. This background isn’t designed to scaremonger, but to highlight why resilience must start long before an attack ever reaches the endpoint.

The Foundations of Ransomware Resilience

Ransomware resilience isn’t achieved through a single product or policy – it’s the outcome of strategic, technical, and cultural alignment. Financial institutions, in particular, must approach it as a continuous process of readiness: Anticipating compromise, containing impact, and restoring normality quickly and transparently:

Assume-Breach Philosophy

The first step is shifting from a defensive mindset to an assume-breach philosophy. In practice, this means recognising that even the most sophisticated systems can and will be breached – and building architectures and response strategies designed to limit damage when this happens. It’s a pragmatic approach, grounded in the reality that attackers are increasingly sector agnostic. No organisation is too small or too secure to be targeted, but the financial sector remains a favourite because it offers both high disruption value and potentially significant monetary reward.

Building meaningful resilience, therefore, demands layered defence and disciplined execution. The goal is to slow attackers down at every stage – detecting them early, limiting lateral movement, and ensuring business continuity when systems are disrupted. Behavioural analytics and continuous monitoring can surface and neutralise subtle anomalies that would otherwise go unnoticed – such as phishing, spear phishing, and malware, with email still the number one entry point for ransomware.

Zero Trust & MFA

Meanwhile, zero trust policies and multi-factor authentication methods add a second layer of protection, blocking unauthorised access even if credentials are compromised.

When incidents do occur, a well-practised response framework ensures action is fast and coordinated, minimising disruption across critical systems, with the ability to switch to secure replica environments to keep operations running while remediation takes place. Secure, immutable, air-gapped backups underpin it all, providing a safety net that guarantees recovery can begin from a clean and uncompromised state.

Human readiness is equally critical. Technology can contain an attack, but only people can recover from one effectively. Regular simulation exercises, incident rehearsals, and cybersecurity awareness training help teams respond calmly and cohesively, transforming response from reactive to instinctive. This operational maturity is reinforced by strong governance. Frameworks such as DORA, NIST, and ISO 27001 provide the structure to align technical teams, compliance leads, and executive decision-makers around shared resilience goals. When combined with skilled practitioners and clear accountability, they embed security into ‘business as usual’ – moving resilience from a strategy to a sustained organisational capability.

Why Multi-Layered Backup is Critical

When ransomware strikes, the speed and integrity of data recovery determine whether disruption lasts minutes or days – and whether the impact cascades through wider global markets. As the last and most decisive line of defence when every other control fails, it’s also fundamental to customer trust and compliance. Yet too often, backup is treated as a static safeguard rather than a dynamic resilience layer.

Since modern ransomware often seeks out and encrypts traditional backups first, a single backup copy or centralised repository is no longer sufficient. True resilience today depends on a multi-layered approach – combining offsite or cloud-diverse storage, immutable data copies that cannot be altered or deleted, and isolated environments to protect against lateral movement.

How frequently these backups are tested is equally important. Too often, financial institutions only discover weaknesses when recovery is already underway, at which point strategies can’t be magically strengthened, and it becomes a race against the clock to minimise downtime and reputational fallout. Regular, automated recovery testing changes that dynamic. It not only confirms that files can be restored, but provides verifiable assurance that systems come back online in the correct order, data dependencies remain intact, and teams have the muscle memory to act quickly and confidently when the worst happens.

The Power of Shared Accountability

In a digital economy so deeply interconnected, no organisation operates in isolation. This is especially true in financial services, where supply chains and service providers form the backbone of day-to-day operations. While this interdependence is a strength in many ways, it also means resilience is no longer defined by how well a single institution can defend itself, but by how effectively every partner in its ecosystem upholds their part of the security chain.

This is where shared accountability becomes critical. It recognises that cloud providers, managed service partners, and financial institutions each have distinct but complementary roles to play in securing data, systems, and infrastructure. When accountability is clearly defined – and when partners collaborate rather than operate in silos – visibility improves, incident response accelerates, and the risk of systemic failure decreases.

Shared accountability also extends beyond contractual obligation. It’s about building a culture of collective readiness: sharing intelligence, rehearsing joint incident scenarios, and supporting smaller or less-resourced partners to raise their security baseline. The result is a unified entity capable of anticipating, absorbing, and recovering from disruption together.

Looking Ahead

To view cyberattacks as inevitable might seem pessimistic to some, but it’s an unfortunate truth that no amount of investment can eliminate risk entirely. In an era where threats are growing in both scale and sophistication, readiness becomes the true differentiator – particularly in such a high-stakes sector. For financial institutions, that means embedding security into culture, strengthening connections across supply chains, and continually testing their ability to withstand and recover as a united ecosystem. Only then can resilience become a strategic advantage rather than a defensive necessity, and unlock the cloud’s transformative potential with absolute confidence.

Learn more at virtualcds.co.uk

  • Artificial Intelligence in FinTech
  • Cybersecurity
  • Cybersecurity in FinTech
  • Data & AI
  • InsurTech

Author

Katja Hakoneva

Published

20 January 2026

Estimated Read time

5Mins

Katja Hakoneva, Product Manager at Tuxera, on delivering tomorrow’s data storage security today

Smart meters are no longer just data endpoints. They’re intelligent, connected nodes embedded into the national infrastructure. As energy networks undergo rapid digital transformation, the focus has largely been on secure communications and real-time data transmission. But beneath the surface lies the local data storage, which often becomes a critical blind spot.

Smart meters store large volumes of sensitive data from energy usage profiles to firmware logs and grid event histories on embedded memory. If this information is accessed, altered, or deleted, it can trigger billing inaccuracies, regulatory breaches, and customer mistrust. With meters expected to operate in the field for up to 20 years, data-at-rest security is a critical requirement.

Storage Vulnerabilities: The Silent Cyber Threat

These embedded systems face multifaceted risks. Attackers may gain access to stored data by physically tampering with a meter or exploiting software vulnerabilities that bypass weak authentication. Malicious actors could manipulate logs to alter billing records, mislead consumption analytics, or mask larger cyberattacks on grid infrastructure.

In many cases, such intrusions go undetected until tangible damage, such as lost revenue or reputational fallout. With increasing dependence on smart infrastructure, utilities can no longer afford to treat embedded storage as a passive component.

Counting the Real Costs of Cybersecurity

Securing smart meters comes with technical requirements, as well as, operational and resourcing demands. For many UK manufacturers and utilities, managing cybersecurity internally means building and retaining specialist teams, often requiring three to five full-time professionals to handle vulnerability monitoring, patch management, and threat response throughout the year.

Aligning with regulatory frameworks frequently demands hardware upgrades to handle stronger encryption and secure configurations, impacting Bill of Materials (BOM) costs and development timelines. Many existing software stacks require optimisation to support modern security protocols within resource-constrained devices. These efforts are necessary, with a single undetected cyberattack costing companies an average of $8,851 (≈£6,900) per minute, and the consequences extending beyond financial loss to potential regulatory fines and service disruptions.

The CRA and the new Era of Cyber Regulation

The Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), set to come into force across the EU by 2027, will reshape how connected devices are designed, developed, and supported. For UK-based vendors serving the European market, or collaborating with EU counterparts, compliance with CRA is becoming a strategic imperative.

Key CRA requirements include:

  • Security by design: Devices must be secure from the outset, not retrofitted post-deployment.
  • No known vulnerabilities at market launch: Products must undergo security validation prior to release.
  • Default secure configurations: Devices should avoid insecure settings out of the box.
  • Lifecycle management: Vendors must support patching and vulnerability resolution throughout the device’s operational lifespan.

For smart meters, which often run in the field for two decades or more, the CRA introduces accountability that extends well beyond product launch. Compliance with the CRA will become part of the CE marking process, meaning global manufacturers must align if they wish to sell into the EU energy market.

Engineering Security: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Authenticity

Designing resilient smart meters starts with three pillars:

  • Confidentiality protects sensitive user data from unauthorised access. This includes encrypting both data and encryption keys, restricting user access levels, and securing communication channels.
  • Integrity ensures stored data remains unaltered and trustworthy. Power failures, for instance, can corrupt memory. Using flash-optimised file systems and secure boot processes can prevent such vulnerabilities.
  • Authenticity confirms that firmware and data updates come from trusted sources. Techniques like digital signatures and update validation prevent attackers from injecting malicious code into meters.

Together, these pillars enable smart meters to meet regulatory expectations while protecting both users and grid operations.

Future-proofing Data Storage

Cybersecurity for smart meters is not just a feature; it requires organisational readiness. Frameworks like the CRA, NIST, and IEC 62443 emphasise secure processes, documentation, and people alongside secure products.

For companies looking to prepare, it is smart to start with common pillars such as maintaining up-to-date Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs), conducting regular supply chain and risk assessments, keeping detailed test reports, and establishing clear incident response plans. Internally, training staff on cybersecurity best practices, setting clear data retention policies, and defining access controls and responsibilities are critical steps to ensure cybersecurity is embedded within the culture of the organisation. This approach ensures security is not a one-off compliance task but a sustainable practice that protects smart infrastructure long-term.

Smart meters deployed today could still be operating in the 2040s. This timeline intersects with the anticipated emergence of quantum computing, which may break today’s encryption standards. Though post-quantum cryptography is still evolving, vendors must prepare now to ensure systems remain secure in a post-quantum world. Smart meter software should be designed with cryptographic agility to allow it to adapt and upgrade algorithms as threats evolve.

Lessons from Long-Term Deployment

Smart meters are designed for longevity, but memory wear remains a primary failure point. Meters that lack flash-aware storage systems face early data loss, increasing the cost of maintenance, replacements, and warranty claims.

Utilities and OEMs that embed file systems capable of wear levelling, garbage collection, and secure boot processes have extended meter lifespans by more than 50%, even in challenging conditions. One example showed meters surviving over 15,000 power interruptions without any data loss.

Integrating secure storage delivers operational and commercial benefits. It ensures compliance with CRA and other evolving global frameworks, reduces maintenance and warranty costs, minimises carbon impact through fewer replacements, enhances brand credibility and trust with procurement teams, strengthens the business case for longer-term contracts and partnerships. As the smart energy market matures, these benefits are becoming differentiators, especially as digital infrastructure grows in complexity.

Delivering Tomorrow’s Data Storage Security Today

The next generation of smart infrastructure will be fast and connected, as well as, secure, resilient, and regulation-ready. For vendors and utilities alike, embedding data protection deep into the meter architecture is a business-critical move.

By preparing for the CRA today, smart meter manufacturers will position themselves as forward-thinking, trustworthy partners in tomorrow’s energy ecosystem, delivering technology that’s not only built to last but built to protect today and tomorrow.

Learn more at tuxera.com

  • Cybersecurity
  • Data & AI
  • Digital Strategy

Author

Robert Cottrill

Published

14 January 2026

Estimated Read time

4Mins

Robert Cottrill, Technology Director at digital transformation company ANS, explores how businesses can harness the potential of AI while mitigating the growing risks to cybersecurity and privacy

AI can transform businesses, but is it also opening the door to cyber risks? Fuelled by competitive pressure and rising government support through the UK’s Industrial Strategy, it’s no surprise that more and more businesses are racing to adopt AI.

But there’s a catch. The more businesses scale their AI adoption, the bigger their attack surface becomes. Without a proactive and structured approach to securing AI systems, organisations risk trading short-term efficiencies for long-term vulnerabilities.

The AI Boom

AI investment is skyrocketing. Businesses are deploying generative AI tools, machine learning models, and intelligent automation across nearly every function, from customer service and fraud detection to supply chain optimisation. Platforms like DeepSeek and open-source AI models are now part of the mainstream tech stack.

Initiatives like the UK’s AI Opportunities Action Plan are fuelling experimentation and adoption. AI is now seen not just as a productivity tool, but as a critical lever for digital transformation.

However, the rapid pace of AI deployment is outpacing the development of the security frameworks required to protect it. When integrated with sensitive data or critical infrastructure, AI systems can introduce serious risks if not properly secured. These risks include data leakage through AI prompts or model training, as well as AI-generated phishing and social engineering attacks

So, it’s no surprise that ANS research found that data privacy is the top concern for businesses when adopting AI. As these threats evolve, businesses must treat AI not just as an enabler, but also as a potential vector for attack.

The Governance Gap

While technical threats often take centre stage, businesses also can’t forget the increasing regulatory requirements surrounding AI. As AI systems become more powerful, enabling businesses to extract valuable insights from vast datasets, they also raise serious ethical and legal challenges. 

Regulatory frameworks like the EU AI Act and GDPR aim to provide guardrails for responsible AI use. But these regulations often struggle to keep up with the rapid advancements in AI technology, leaving businesses exposed to potential breaches and misuse of personal data.

The Need for Responsible AI Adoption

To build resilience while embracing AI, businesses need a dual approach: 

1. Prioritise AI-specific training across the workforce

Cybersecurity teams are already stretched. Introducing AI into the mix raises the stakes. Organisations must prioritise upskilling their cybersecurity professionals to understand how AI can both protect and threaten systems.

But this isn’t just a job for the security team. As AI tools become embedded in daily workflows, employees across functions must also be trained to spot risks. Whether it’s uploading sensitive data into a chatbot or blindly trusting algorithms, human error remains a major weak point.

A well-trained workforce is the first and most crucial line of defence.

2. Adopt open-source AI responsibly

Another key strategy for reducing AI-related risks is the responsible adoption of open-source AI platforms. Open-source AI enhances transparency by making AI algorithms and tools available for broader scrutiny. This openness fosters collaboration and collective innovation, allowing developers and security experts worldwide to identify and address potential vulnerabilities more efficiently.

The transparency of open-source AI demystifies AI technologies for businesses, giving them the confidence to adopt AI solutions while ensuring they stay alert about potential security flaws. When AI systems are subject to global review, organisations can tap into the expertise of a diverse and engaged tech community to build more secure, reliable AI applications.

To adopt responsibly, businesses need to ensure that the AI they are using aligns with security best practices, complies with regulations, and is ethically sound. By using open-source AI responsibly, organisations can create more secure digital environments and strengthen trust with stakeholders.

Securing the Future of AI

AI is a transformative force that will redefine cybersecurity. We’re already seeing AI being used to automate threat detection and response. But it’s also powering more advanced attacks, from deepfake impersonation to large-scale automated exploits.

Organisations that succeed will be those that embed cybersecurity into every stage of their AI journey, from innovation to implementation. That means making risk management part of the innovation conversation, not a downstream fix.

By taking a responsible approach, investing in training, leveraging open-source AI wisely, and embedding cybersecurity into every layer of the business, organisations can unlock AI’s potential while defending against its risks.  

AI is a double-edged sword, but with thoughtful adoption, businesses can confidently navigate the complex landscape of AI and cybersecurity.

Learn more at ans.co.uk

  • Cybersecurity
  • Data & AI
  • Digital Strategy

Author

Ribert Cottrill

Published

25 September 2025

Estimated Read time

4Mins

Robert Cottrill, Technology Director at digital transformation company ANS, explores how businesses can harness the potential of AI while mitigating the growing risks to cybersecurity and privacy

AI can transform businesses, but is it also opening the door to cybersecurity risks?

Fuelled by competitive pressure and rising government support through the UK’s Industrial Strategy, it’s no surprise that more and more businesses are racing to adopt AI.

But there’s a catch. The more businesses scale their AI adoption, the bigger their attack surface becomes. Without a proactive and structured approach to securing AI systems, organisations risk trading short-term efficiencies for long-term vulnerabilities.

The AI Boom

AI investment is skyrocketing. Businesses are deploying generative AI tools, machine learning models, and intelligent automation across nearly every function, from customer service and fraud detection to supply chain optimisation. Platforms like DeepSeek and open-source AI models are now part of the mainstream tech stack.

Initiatives like the UK’s AI Opportunities Action Plan are fuelling experimentation and adoption. AI is now seen not just as a productivity tool, but as a critical lever for digital transformation.

However, the rapid pace of AI deployment is outpacing the development of the security frameworks required to protect it. When integrated with sensitive data or critical infrastructure, AI systems can introduce serious risks if not properly secured. These risks include data leakage through AI prompts or model training, as well as AI-generated phishing and social engineering attacks

So, it’s no surprise that our research found that data privacy is the top concern for businesses when adopting AI. As these threats evolve, businesses must treat AI not just as an enabler, but also as a potential vector for attack.

The Governance Gap

While technical threats often take centre stage, businesses also can’t forget the increasing regulatory requirements surrounding AI. 

As AI systems become more powerful, enabling businesses to extract valuable insights from vast datasets, they also raise serious ethical and legal challenges. 

Regulatory frameworks like the EU AI Act and GDPR aim to provide guardrails for responsible AI use. But these regulations often struggle to keep up with the rapid advancements in AI technology, leaving businesses exposed to potential breaches and misuse of personal data.

The Need for Responsible AI Adoption with Cybersecurity

To build resilience while embracing AI, businesses need a dual approach: 

1. Prioritise AI-specific training across the workforce

Cybersecurity teams are already stretched. Introducing AI into the mix raises the stakes. Organisations must prioritise upskilling their cybersecurity professionals to understand how AI can both protect and threaten systems.

But this isn’t just a job for the security team. As AI tools become embedded in daily workflows, employees across functions must also be trained to spot risks. Whether it’s uploading sensitive data into a chatbot or blindly trusting algorithms, human error remains a major weak point.

A well-trained workforce is the first and most crucial line of defence.

2. Adopt open-source AI responsibly

Another key strategy for reducing AI-related risks is the responsible adoption of open-source AI platforms. Open-source AI enhances transparency by making AI algorithms and tools available for broader scrutiny. This openness fosters collaboration and collective innovation, allowing developers and security experts worldwide to identify and address potential vulnerabilities more efficiently.

The transparency of open-source AI demystifies AI technologies for businesses, giving them the confidence to adopt AI solutions while ensuring they stay alert about potential security flaws. When AI systems are subject to global review, organisations can tap into the expertise of a diverse and engaged tech community to build more secure, reliable AI applications.

To adopt responsibly, businesses need to ensure that the AI they are using aligns with security best practices, complies with regulations, and is ethically sound. By using open-source AI responsibly, organisations can create more secure digital environments and strengthen trust with stakeholders.

Securing the Future of AI

AI is a transformative force that will redefine cybersecurity. We’re already seeing AI being used to automate threat detection and response. But it’s also powering more advanced attacks, from deepfake impersonation to large-scale automated exploits.

Organisations that succeed will be those that embed cybersecurity into every stage of their AI journey, from innovation to implementation. That means making risk management part of the innovation conversation, not a downstream fix.

By taking a responsible approach, investing in training, leveraging open-source AI wisely, and embedding cybersecurity into every layer of the business, organisations can unlock AI’s potential while defending against its risks.  

AI is a double-edged sword, but with thoughtful adoption, businesses can confidently navigate the complex landscape of AI and cybersecurity.

  • Cybersecurity
  • Data & AI

Author

Anna Collard

Published

18 September 2025

Estimated Read time

8Mins

Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy & Evangelist KnowBe4 – Africa, on leveraging AI-driven cybersecurity systems to fight cybercrime

Artificial Intelligence is no longer just a tool. It is a game-changer in our lives, our work as well as in both cybersecurity and cybercrime. While businesses leverage AI to enhance defences, cybercriminals are weaponising AI to make these attacks more scalable and convincing​.  

In 2025, research shows AI agents, or autonomous AI-driven systems capable of performing complex tasks with minimal human input, are revolutionising both cyberattacks and cybersecurity defences. While AI-powered chatbots have been around for a while, AI agents go beyond simple assistants. They function as self-learning digital operatives that plan, execute, and adapt in real time. These advancements don’t just enhance cybercriminal tactics, they may fundamentally change the cybersecurity battlefield. 

How Cybercriminals Are Weaponising AI: The New Threat Landscape 

AI is transforming cybercrime, making attacks more scalable, efficient, and accessible. The WEF Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Report (2025) highlights how AI has democratised cyber threats. Thus enabling attackers to automate social engineering, expand phishing campaigns, and develop AI-driven malware​. Similarly, the Orange Cyberdefense Security Navigator 2025 warns of AI-powered cyber extortion, deepfake fraud, and adversarial AI techniques. And the 2025 State of Malware Report by Malwarebytes notes, while GenAI has enhanced cybercrime efficiency, it hasn’t yet introduced entirely new attack methods. Attackers still rely on phishing, social engineering, and cyber extortion, now amplified by AI. However, this is set to change with the rise of AI agents. Autonomous AI systems are capable of planning, acting, and executing complex tasks—posing major implications for the future of cybercrime. 

Here is a list of common (ab)use cases of AI by cybercriminals:  

AI-Generated Phishing & Social Engineering 

Generative AI and large language models (LLMs) enable cybercriminals to craft more believable and sophisticated phishing emails in multiple languages. Without the usual red flags like poor grammar or spelling mistakes. AI-driven spear phishing now allows criminals to personalise scams at scale, automatically adjusting messages based on a target’s online activity. AI-powered Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams are increasing. Attackers use AI-generated phishing emails sent from compromised internal accounts to enhance credibility​. AI also automates the creation of fake phishing websites, watering hole attacks and chatbot scams. These are sold as AI-powered ‘crimeware as a service’ offerings, further lowering the barrier to entry for cybercrime​. 

Deepfake-Enhanced Fraud & Impersonation 

Deepfake audio and video scams are being used to impersonate business executives, co-workers or family members to manipulate victims into transferring money or revealing sensitive data. The most famous 2024 incident was UK based engineering firm Arup that lost $25 million after one of their Hong Kong based employees was tricked by deepfake executives in a video call. Attackers are also using deepfake voice technology to impersonate distressed relatives or executives, demanding urgent financial transactions.  

Cognitive Attacks  

Online manipulation—as defined by Susser et al. (2018)—is “at its core, hidden influence, the covert subversion of another person’s decision-making power”. AI-driven cognitive attacks are rapidly expanding the scope of online manipulation. By everaging digital platforms, state-sponsored actors increasingly use generative AI to craft hyper-realistic fake content. They are subtly shaping public perception while evading detection. These tactics are deployed to influence elections, spread disinformation and erode trust in democratic institutions. Unlike conventional cyberattacks, cognitive attacks don’t just compromise systems—they manipulate minds, subtly steering behaviours and beliefs over time without the target’s awareness. The integration of AI into disinformation campaigns dramatically increases the scale and precision of these threats, making them harder to detect and counter.  

The Security Risks of LLM Adoption 

Beyond misuse by threat actors, business adoption of AI-chatbots and LLMs introduces significant security risks. Especially when untested AI interfaces connect the open internet to critical backend systems or sensitive data. Poorly integrated AI systems can be exploited by adversaries. This enables new attack vectors, including prompt injection, content evasion, and denial-of-service attacks. Multimodal AI expands these risks further, allowing hidden malicious commands in images or audio to manipulate outputs.  

Moreover, many modern LLMs now function as Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems. Dynamically pulling in real-time data from external sources to enhance their responses. While this improves accuracy and relevance, it also introduces additional risks, such as data poisoning, misinformation propagation, and increased exposure to external attack surfaces. A compromised or manipulated source can directly influence AI-generated outputs. Potentially leading to incorrect, biased, or even harmful recommendations in business-critical applications. 

Additionally, bias within LLMs poses another challenge. These models learn from vast datasets that may contain skewed, outdated, or harmful biases. This can lead to misleading outputs, discriminatory decision-making, or security misjudgements, potentially exacerbating vulnerabilities rather than mitigating them. As LLM adoption grows, rigorous security testing, bias auditing, and risk assessment, especially in RAG-powered models, are essential to prevent exploitation and ensure trustworthy, unbiased AI-driven decision-making. 

When AI Goes Rogue: The Dangers of Autonomous Agents 

With AI systems now capable of self-replication, as demonstrated in a recent study, the risk of uncontrolled AI propagation or rogue AI – AI systems that act against the interests of their creators, users, or humanity at large – is growing. Security and AI researchers have raised concerns that these rogue systems can arise either accidentally or maliciously. Particularly when autonomous AI agents are granted access to data, APIs, and external integrations. The broader an AI’s reach through integrations and automation, the greater the potential threat of it going rogue. This means robust oversight, security measures, and ethical AI governance essential in mitigating these risks. 

The Future of AI Agents for Automation in Cybercrime 

A more disruptive shift in cybercrime can and will come from AI Agents. These transform AI from a passive assistant into an autonomous actor capable of planning and executing complex attacks. Google, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Salesforce are already developing Agentic AI for business use. However, in the hands of cybercriminals, its implications are alarming. These AI agents can be used to autonomously scan for vulnerabilities, exploit security weaknesses, and execute cyberattacks at scale. They can also allow attackers to scrape massive amounts of personal data from social media platforms. They can automatically compose and send fake executive requests to employees. And, for example, analyse divorce records across multiple countries to identify individuals for AI-driven romance scams, orchestrated by an AI agent. These AI-driven fraud tactics don’t just scale attacks, they make them more personalised and harder to detect. Unlike current GenAI threats, Agentic AI has the potential to automate entire cybercrime operations, significantly amplifying the risk​. 

How Defenders Can Use AI & AI Agents 

Organisations cannot afford to remain passive in the face of AI-driven threats. Security professionals need to remain abreast of the latest developments. Here are some of the  opportunities in using AI to defend against AI:  

AI-Powered Threat Detection and Response

Security teams can deploy AI and AI-agents to monitor networks in real time, identify anomalies, and respond to threats faster than human analysts can. AI-driven security platforms can automatically correlate vast amounts of data to detect subtle attack patterns. These might otherwise go unnoticed. AI can create dynamic threat modelling, real-time network behaviour analysis, and deep anomaly detection​. For example, as outlined by researchers of Orange Cyber Defense, AI-assisted threat detection is crucial as attackers increasingly use “Living off the Land” (LOL) techniques that mimic normal user behaviour. Making it harder for detection teams to separate real threats from benign activity. By analysing repetitive requests and unusual traffic patterns, AI-driven systems can quickly identify anomalies and trigger real-time alerts, allowing for faster defensive responses. 

However, despite the potential of AI-agents, human analysts still remain critical. Their intuition and adaptability are essential for recognising nuanced attack patterns. They can leverage real incident and organisational insights to prioritise resources effectively. 

Automated Phishing and Fraud Prevention

AI-powered email security solutions can analyse linguistic patterns, and metadata to identify AI-generated phishing attempts before they reach employees, by analysing writing patterns and behavioural anomalies. AI can also flag unusual sender behaviour and improve detection of BEC attacks​. Similarly, detection algorithms can help verify the authenticity of communications and prevent impersonation scams. AI-powered biometric and audio analysis tools detect deepfake media by identifying voice and video inconsistencies. However, real-time deepfake detection remains a challenge, as technology continues to evolve. 

User Education & AI-Powered Security Awareness Training

AI-powered platforms deliver personalised security awareness training. They can simulate AI-generated attacks to educate users on evolving threats, helping train employees to recognise deceptive AI-generated content​. And strengthen their individual susceptibility factors and vulnerabilities.  

Adversarial AI Countermeasures

Just as cybercriminals use AI to bypass security, defenders can employ adversarial AI techniques. For example, deploying deception technologies – such as AI-generated honeypots – to mislead and track attackers. As well as continuously training defensive AI models to recognise and counteract evolving attack patterns. 

Using AI to Fight AI-Driven Misinformation and Scams

AI-powered tools can detect synthetic text and deepfake misinformation, assisting fact-checking and source validation. Fraud detection models can analyse news sources, financial transactions, and AI-generated media to flag manipulation attempts​. Counter-attacks, like those shown by research project Countercloud or O2 Telecoms AI agent “Daisy” show how AI based bots and deepfake real-time voice chatbots can be used to counter disinformation campaigns as well as scammers by engaging them in endless conversations to waste their time and reducing their ability to target real victims​. 

In a future where both attackers and defenders use AI, defenders need to be aware of how adversarial AI operates. And how AI can be used to defend against their attacks. In this fast-paced environment, organisations need to guard against their greatest enemy: their own complacency. While at the same time considering AI-driven security solutions thoughtfully and deliberately. Rather than rushing to adopt the next shiny AI security tool, decision makers should carefully evaluate AI-powered defences to ensure they match the sophistication of emerging AI threats. Hastily deploying AI without strategic risk assessment could introduce new vulnerabilities, making a mindful, measured approach essential in securing the future of cybersecurity.  

To stay ahead in this AI-powered digital arms race, organisations should:  

  • Monitor both the threat and AI landscape to stay abreast of latest developments on both sides. 
  • Train employees frequently on latest AI-driven threats, including deepfakes and AI-generated phishing. 
  • Deploy AI for proactive cyber defense, including threat intelligence and incident response. 
  • Continuously test your own AI models against adversarial attacks to ensure resilience. 
  • Cybersecurity
  • Data & AI

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

10 September 2025

Estimated Read time

6Mins

Mike Puglia, General Manager, Kaseya Cybersecurity Labs, on how the need for regulatory support to better support industries when tackling cybercrime

Cyberattacks keep coming hard and fast, but things are beginning to change. In the past few months, law enforcement has announced arrests of three people in the Marks & Spencer breach, seven members of the hacking group NoName057, five affiliates of Scattered Spider and also disrupted the infrastructure of gangs such as Flax Typhoon, Star Blizzard and others.  

Earlier this year, the UK retail industry felt the pressure. Brands, including Marks & Spencer, Harrods and Co-op – and by proxy, their customers – became victims of the hacking group, Scatter Spider. Other businesses are now on high alert as this wave of security breaches is expected to continue. For as long as bad actors can reap rewards and the risk of consequences remains small, they will keep attacking. Ransomware-as-a-service lowers the bar to entry further, allowing even those without specialised skills to launch successful ransomware campaigns.

Along with the threats, regulatory pressure on businesses is growing. Organisations must be able to prove they have strong security defences in place or risk paying hefty fines for non-compliance. However, this means we are essentially punishing the victim, not the perpetrator. By putting the onus on the victims to protect themselves, we are missing an important truth… Because there is no bullet-proof defence, even the best security strategies will not end cybercrime for good.

It’s Time to Treat Cybercrime as Crime

What the industry needs instead is a change in how we approach cybercrime. Rather than blaming the victims, we must start treating it as the serious criminal activity it is. It is high time we addressed cybercrime’s fundamental drivers. Opportunity, motive and the widespread perception that criminals can still get away without punishment. As is the case with physical crime, it takes a two-pronged approach to curb cybercrime: Prevention – and an effective response.

Those who attempt physical theft, for example, face trials and potentially prison. While we have seen a growing number of cybercriminals arrested in recent months, the truth we are only scratching the surface. In the digital world, everything is accessible from everywhere, all the time. This creates an inherent vulnerability that makes perfect protection impossible. In many cases, it also makes it much harder to track down the offenders and hold them accountable.

The Problem with Cryptocurrency and Jurisdiction

The cybercrime landscape has also undergone a significant transformation. While in the past, hackers were mostly focused on stealing financial data, there has been a dramatic shift towards ransomware. It’s far easier to encrypt an organisation’s data and demand a ransom than finding buyers for stolen credit card info.

This transformation has further accelerated because cryptocurrency allows cyber attackers to be paid in anonymous currency. Anywhere in the world, at any time. Previously, criminals had to physically collect payments or transfer money to traceable bank accounts. Now, they can operate with anonymity whilst easily converting their loot into real euros, pounds and dollars. This means ‘following the money’ is no longer a useful way for law enforcement to track nefarious activity. If we made it impossible for criminals to anonymously convert cryptocurrency into real currency, we could change the risk-reward calculation.

The second key issue with fighting cybercrime is the question of jurisdiction. Many cybercriminals are based in countries where western governments have no recourse. When hackers operate from non-cooperative jurisdictions, it may be impossible to extradite them. And they may find their activities tolerated by their local government or even supported.  As we have seen with the recent arrests – the threat actors were outside of Russia and China – where many attacks come from.

These two factors – anonymous payment systems and safe havens – create an environment where cybercrime can and will continue to flourish. While organisations can do their best to make it harder for criminals to attack, it is foolish to believe individual businesses will be able to solve the cybercrime problem on their own.

Stop Blaming the Victim

So, what needs to happen? First, the victim-blaming approach must change. We simply cannot regulate every business to become an impenetrable fortress. When a person is physically robbed, police respond to investigate the crime and help recover stolen property. With cybercrime, victims face reputational damage, fines and higher insurance premiums. Incidents often raise questions about where the business’ cybersecurity strategy failed, rather than a recognition that a crime has been committed against them.

A first step forward towards solving the cybercrime problem would require governmental and societal recognition that cyberattacks represent crimes against businesses and individuals, not merely failures of those organisations to adequately defend themselves. While many countries have ramped up policing efforts against cybercrime, these are generally underfunded considering the scale of the problem.

Secondly, we need to urgently address the anonymous payment systems that keep fuelling cybercrime. This is not an easy problem to solve, but governments must find better ways to trace and regulate how cryptocurrency is converted into real money.

It is also time we introduced real and severe consequences for cybercriminals. The number one deterrent to any type of crime is fear of being caught and punished. The internet has essentially eliminated this, enabling hackers to operate from nations that turn a blind eye. To address this will require more political pressure on ‘safe harbour’ countries to charge, punish and extradite cybercriminals. Where nations refuse to cooperate, potential sanctions such as restrictions on internet connectivity might force governments to reconsider their tolerance for criminal activities.

Finally, we need to acknowledge that regulations such as GDPR, PCI and NIS have their limits. Despite increasingly complex compliance requirements, cybercrime has continued to grow. While regulations can provide critical and much-needed guidance to businesses, they must be combined with properly funded law enforcement – empowered with tools to bring criminals to justice across jurisdictions.

To truly disrupt the criminal ecosystem, systemic changes are needed. We are starting to see governments give law enforcement the tools they need, but it is very early in that process. Because ultimately, we will not solve the cybercrime problem with defence measures alone.

About Kaseya

At Kaseya, our mission is to empower you to simplify and transform IT and cybersecurity management with innovative platform solutions.

Our Mission:

Since 2000, Kaseya has delivered the technology that IT departments and managed service providers need to reach new heights of success. More than 500,000 IT professionals globally use Kaseya products to manage and secure 300 million devices.

Kaseya’s commitment to our customers goes beyond listening to your needs and puts words into action to deliver innovative solutions that empower your business. But we don’t stop there. Kaseya’s first-of-its-kind Partner First Pledge program shares the risk our partners experience because we know a true partner is with you through the ups and downs of life.

  • Cybersecurity
  • Digital Strategy

Author

Andy Swift

Published

8 September 2025

Estimated Read time

4Mins

Andy Swift, Cyber Security Assurance Technical Director at Six Degrees on

According to AV-TEST, the independent IT security institute, every day sees at least 450,000 new malware variants added to its database. In June this year, for example, cybercriminals are thought to have used malware to steal over 16 billion login credentials across various major platforms in what is thought to have been the largest breach of its kind in history. For security teams, this represents a relentless challenge that demands constant attention and consumes significant resources.

Malware-Free Attacks

As if that wasn’t enough, malware-free attacks are increasingly favoured by cybercriminals as a way to circumvent organisational security. Typically using legitimate programs and tools, these stealth attacks are particularly complex to detect. And they are invisible to most automated security protection options that are available to buy.

With no obvious malware signatures to detect, automated defences are often powerless to respond. And without robust security foundations, even advanced detection tools offer limited protection once an attacker gains a foothold. When that happens, the consequences can be significant.

At the heart of the matter are the limitations of many traditional security tools, which are simply not designed to stop what they cannot see. Malware-free attacks do not rely on external payloads or binaries with known malicious signatures. This renders many automated detection systems, including standard antivirus solutions, effectively useless. As a result, the burden falls elsewhere.

For most organisations, that means having the right expertise in place to recognise unusual behaviour, supported by technologies that can identify behavioural anomalies quickly. Endpoint detection and response (EDR) platforms offer some of these capabilities. But even the most advanced solutions rely on proper configuration and human oversight to be effective. In an ideal world, every business would have round-the-clock monitoring in place, but in reality, very few do.

Challenging Assumptions Around Risk

So, how can organisations fill the gap? When assessing how to protect against malware-free attacks, many organisations begin with the assumption that they will need to buy new tools or licenses. This can form part of a rounded solution. However, leading with this mindset often overlooks a more fundamental and cost-effective question: What can be improved with the tools already in place?

Reviewing existing capabilities should be the first step. For example, most environments already have some level of EDR, behavioural monitoring or identity protection deployed. Yet these are often underutilised or misconfigured. This can result from a lack of understanding around tool capabilities (and limitations), paying for the wrong level of license coverage, and failing to ensure configurations support behavioural analysis rather than just malware scanning. In many cases, even minor adjustments can significantly increase effectiveness without any additional spend.

Cost vs Risk

Organisations should also reconsider how they approach the question of investment. The cost vs risk conversation needs to shift from what they should buy to what they should fix. Even the most expensive detection tools can be rendered ineffective if attackers can exploit basic oversights such as poor configuration, excessive access rights or the absence of multi-factor authentication. In contrast, identifying and addressing these gaps in existing systems is not only more cost-effective but also more impactful in stopping attacks before they gain momentum.

This kind of review process is also an opportunity to identify gaps and prioritise actions that reduce risk without escalating costs. For example, many organisations find that network segmentation, strict privilege controls and enforcing least-access policies can help prevent lateral movement and minimise credential misuse – two of the most common techniques used in malware-free attacks. Putting these capabilities in place are security fundamentals that often determine whether an attack is stopped early or is able to spread.

In this context, a best practice approach matters more than ever. Not as a one-off initiative, but as a continuous effort to close the windows of opportunity that attackers rely on. This includes reducing privilege levels, adopting MFA by default, limiting binary access and educating users on social engineering techniques. All of which are good examples of cost-effective steps that can limit the opportunity for malware-free attacks to take hold. These are not headline-grabbing technologies, but they remain the strongest defence against attacks that thrive on poor hygiene and overlooked gaps.

So, rather than investing in yet another layer of detection, organisations should focus on strengthening what they already have. This approach not only helps avoid unnecessary expense but also delivers a stronger, more sustainable defence posture in an environment where threat actors continue to be extremely effective.

  • Cybersecurity
  • Cybersecurity in FinTech
  • Infrastructure & Cloud

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

25 June 2025

Estimated Read time

4Mins

Read in brochure format

This month’s cover story reveals MTN MoMo’s roadmap for leveraging FinTech to drive financial inclusion across Africa.

Welcome to the latest issue of Interface magazine!

Read the latest issue here!

MTN MoMo: Empowering Africa Through FinTech

Hermann Tischendorf is the Chief Information & Technology Officer at MTN MoMo (the telco’s mobile money division). He reveals a bold roadmap for leveraging FinTech to drive financial inclusion across the African continent.

“MoMo is comparable in monthly active users to some of the top ten FinTechs globally. We’re playing in the same league as Revolut or Nubank – but in much more complex markets,” notes Hermann. “Access to financial services is fundamental. Without it, people are excluded from the global economy. Our services are the equaliser. They allow individuals in frontier markets to participate in trade, store value, and ultimately improve their quality of life.”

Hermann Tischendorf

Pima Community College: Digital Transformation on a Public Sector budget

Higher education is typically seen through this lens. Slow to adopt new technologies, traditionally inflexible, and held back by a lack of funding. At Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona, a quiet revolution is underway that subverts these expectations. The college is a publicly funded, two-year higher education institution. Serving Pima County and beyond, it has an annual student body of 38,000 served by almost 2,500 faculty and staff.

Isaac Abbs

Led by Isaac Abbs, Assistant Vice Chancellor for IT and CIO, the college is undergoing an extensive IT transformation. This has unlocked immense value through bold, visionary leadership. Crucially, it is being achieved without a major increase in budget explains Abbs.

“If, as an IT leader, you become a truly innovative partner and move the organisation forward, the dollars are there.”

State of Missouri: Security as a Foundation for Innovation

Megan Stokes, Director of Cloud Security & Strategy at State of Missouri, digs into the many ways in which the agency is leveraging technology – and how it’s keeping the citizens of Missouri at the forefront.

“I have the opportunity to guide agencies through best practices, helping them access the right resources, the right expertise, and make sure that the solutions they’re building on are really secure and well architected going forward,” she explains. “That includes a focus on risk management, access control, optimisation, governance and compliance, and long-term strategy. There’s always something new to think through, and that keeps the role really exciting and engaging. There’s always lots of work to be done.”

Megan Stokes

RAKBANK: A Banking Transformation in the UAE

Our cover story explores the digital transformation journey of RAKBANK in the UAE. Head of Digital Transformation, Antony Burrows, reveals the agile practices, enterprise-wide enablement and people-first culture delivering digital banking with a human touch.

“Culture is the cornerstone,” Antony stresses. RAKBANK codifies this into its Four Cs Framework – Connect, Communicate, Collaborate and Celebrate. “Here in the UAE, banks are pivoting from a model of ‘we know everything’ to recognising that one of the best ways to deliver continuous change and value to customers is through partnerships with startups and FinTechs. It’s no longer banks versus startups – it’s banks and startups, working together for the customer. This shift is especially meaningful as banks expand beyond traditional services to focus on customers’ broader financial lives.”

Antony Burrows

Read the latest issue here!

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

29 May 2025

Estimated Read time

3Mins

Read in brochure format

Our cover story spotlights the US Department of Homeland Security and the people power driving its evolution with technology.

Our cover story explores a technological integration journey at the US Department of Homeland Security

Welcome to the latest issue of Interface magazine!

Read the latest issue here!

US Department of Homeland Security: Integrating with the Intelligence Community

Zeke Maldonado, CIO at the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is tasked with integrating the Department with the intelligence community. During times of change, governments need innovative, strategic leadership more than ever. And that’s where inspirational figure like Maldonado come into play.

“I remain committed to the DHS mission and want to take it to the next level. Many of the services we provide require substantial improvements, and I am eager to see how our modernisation efforts can help achieve the desired objectives. We play a crucial role in automating and enhancing the vetting process for non-US citizens, making it significantly more efficient.”

Cotality: The AI-powered Property Platform

Cotality, the AI-powered property and location intelligence platform, is making the real estate industry more efficient, smarter, and more resilient against climate change by leveraging the Google Cloud Platform.

Chief Data and Analytics Officer, John Rogers, explains how… “Buying a home is the biggest purchase in most people’s lives, so we’re passionate about making sure the system works for them.”

Nemko Digital: Pioneering Trustworthy AI

Nemko boasts more than 90 years of building trust in physical products, Today, Nemko’s digital division is leading the way in defining that trust in an increasingly complex and connected world with its pioneering approach to trustworthy AI reveals Managing Director, Dr Shahram Maralani.

“We want to be one of the top five players in this space. Our goal is to make the world a safer place.”

Read the latest issue here!

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

23 May 2025

Estimated Read time

10Mins

Security, AI, and Digital Resilience: A look inside Visions CIO + CISO 

The cybersecurity landscape has never been so fast-moving or complex. The stakes have never been higher. A worsening geopolitical reality and increasingly sophisticated cyber threats mean that the role of security leaders is more pivotal than ever as devastating cyber breaches become a matter of “when,” not “if.” It’s a time for information and skill sharing, networking, and collective action in an industry facing a more challenging future than ever. 

Visions CIO + CISO Summit brings together executive security and technology leaders and experts from the largest organisations in multiple industries to network and learn from the people driving innovation in the IT and cyber spaces. This year’s event took place between April 28-30, and featured 8 tentpole sessions, over 30 presentations from key industry figures, and more than 30 speakers across the various panels, fire-side chats and peer-to-peer round tables that comprise the rest of the event. Speakers and solutions providers at this year’s event included Illumio, Threatlocker, LastPass, Claranet, Okta, Covertswarm, Intruder, and Ripjar RPC Services. Also in attendance were IT and security professionals from large scale enterprises, including Currys, Astley Digital, 24/7 Home Rescue, H&M Group, IBM, MUFG (Mitsubishi Financial Group), Federated Hermes, Deliveroo, Experian, Saint-Gobain, and Nordea GSK.

At the event, and afterwards, we were lucky enough to catch up with some of the leaders speaking at Visions and get their perspectives on key trends affecting the IT space — from the ever-relevant issue of security to AI and digital resilience.  

Natwest

Ramit Sharma — Vice President & Lead Engineer

1. What’s the general outlook for the IT and fintech sectors right now? Is this a scary time? An exciting one?

“It’s an exciting time, particularly within the UK banking sector, where we’re seeing a real shift toward customer-centric innovation. Financial institutions are working hard to deliver seamless, secure, and personalised experiences—often by leveraging cloud, AI, and advanced analytics.” 

“There’s a strong emphasis on modernising legacy systems, improving digital onboarding, and enhancing fraud prevention without compromising user experience. This push for technology-driven customer satisfaction is creating space for smarter, faster, and more agile solutions—making it a great time to be contributing to the evolution of digital trust and transformation in financial services.”

2. What are some of the challenges organisations are facing that you can help them with? What problems are they asking you to solve?

“Many organisations are grappling with how to secure cloud environments at scale without slowing down innovation. Key challenges include visibility across hybrid or multi-cloud setups, managing identity and access with precision, and operationalising zero trust.” 

“There’s also a strong demand for integrating security earlier in the development lifecycle—what we often refer to as shifting security left. People are asking how to reduce complexity, automate controls, and move away from reactive postures to proactive, real-time risk mitigation.”

Federated Hermes 

Enis​​​​ Sahin — Head of Information Security

1. What kind of outlook does an organisation like Federated Hermes have right now towards the industry? Is this a scary time? An exciting one?

2025 is shaping up to be a very dynamic year for the markets at large. There are rapid developments, from geopolitics to booming technology innovation with AI, that are impacting how the markets move as well changing the environment we operate in as a business. As a global asset manager, Federated Hermes is staying abreast of these changes to ensure we can be where the markets are, whilst maintaining efficiency in our operations for strong profitability. 

2. What problems are people asking you to solve right now?

The ever changing world of cyber has historically been difficult for businesses to decipher. In the last few years, it has become even more difficult to keep up, with the advent of AI and how it is changing the technology landscape. Whilst businesses are trying to understand this new technology and embed it into their products and operations, cyber-criminal enterprises are leaping ahead in innovation and starting to leverage it in novel ways. The challenge this brings is two-fold.”

“On one hand, businesses are trying to find the right use cases for AI to get their return on investment at every level. This applies to core business functions, as well as Technology departments and the Security organisations. As cyber strategists we are now being forced to be innovators ourselves and not just passive consumers of the latest products and market trends. This brings a new perspective to how we design controls, build our roadmaps and prioritize our budget items. Boards and executive teams are looking for Security teams who are embracing AI and maximizing the effectiveness and efficiency of their programmes.” 

“The second challenge is on the defensive side. The average person, as well as the average corporate employee, is lagging behind in understanding what the latest AI models are capable of, let alone understanding how they can be used to conduct cybercrime. Working in security, we find ourselves in a situation where we both need to find ways to keep up with cyber criminals to defend our enterprises, as well as keep educating our staff and management teams so that we can bring them on this journey.” 

Astley Digital 

Martin Astley — Chief Information Security Officer

1. Would you say this is an exciting time for Astley Digital?

“Astley Digital is at a pivotal point in its journey, experiencing remarkable growth and expanding our service offerings. We’re actively exploring partnerships with innovative cybersecurity companies like ThreatLocker, enabling us to provide even more robust endpoint security solutions for our clients.” 

“Additionally, the evolving landscape of cybersecurity is presenting us with unique opportunities to leverage AI for predictive threat analysis, streamline incident response, and enhance our managed security services. This moment is particularly exciting as we are positioning ourselves not just as a service provider but as a thought leader in cybersecurity strategy, risk management, and digital transformation for businesses across various sectors.”

2.  What are some of the key challenges organisations are facing that you can help them with? What problems are they asking you to solve?

“Organisations today are grappling with a rapidly changing threat landscape, and one of the most significant challenges is maintaining a strong cybersecurity posture amidst evolving threats. At Astley Digital, we address critical issues such as:

“Endpoint Security: Many organisations struggle with managing endpoint security across remote and hybrid workforces. We provide comprehensive solutions that restrict unauthorised software and applications, preventing potential breaches and maintaining data integrity.”

“Third-Party Risk Management: Ensuring third-party vendors maintain security standards is another pressing concern. We work closely with our clients to assess, monitor, and mitigate third-party risks to prevent supply chain attacks.”

“Incident Response and Recovery: Companies are seeking rapid and effective incident response strategies. We offer real-time monitoring, response planning, and post-incident analysis to minimise business disruptions.”

“Regulatory Compliance: Compliance is a growing concern, especially in highly regulated industries. Our team assists with implementing frameworks that align with industry standards, ensuring data protection and reducing legal risks.”

S&W 

Mark Hendry — Partner

1. Why is this an exciting time for your company?

“We are really fortunate to have reach and presence with clients across different sectors. We have professional service specialisms that respond to many of the trickiest and most important strategy and skill challenges that clients face; technology, cyber security, AI, data, and digital regulations to name a few. Not only is it a great time to be helping clients with those issues and helping them make their businesses more capable, effective, successful and resilient, from a selfish perspective it’s an incredible privilege for our people to be trusted by clients to help with these super interesting initiatives.”

2. What are some of the key challenges organisations are facing that you can help them with? What problems are they asking you to solve?

“We help clients with everything from assessing and improving their resilience positions, to complying with the intersections of a range of existing regulations, frameworks and standards, through to future gazing and thinking about what’s possible through challenging the status-quo.”

“Lately that has included a lot of work on things like AI readiness, development of use cases, working on AI explainability and the human element of potential resistance to the kinds of change that AI and other emerging tech are delivering.” 

“Of course an evergreen core of our work is digital resilience, including cyber security, so we do a lot on ensuring that new technology adoptions including those with AI sprinkled throughout them, are digitally and operationally resilient by design.” 

Deliveroo

Oliver Jenkins — IT Audit  Senior Manager

1. Why is this an exciting time for Deliveroo?

“We’re at a turning point where AI is no longer a side conversation—it’s embedded in the way Deliveroo operates. That shift brings real momentum and urgency to the work we do in securing AI adoption and protecting digital environments.”

2. What are some of the key challenges organisations are facing that you can help them with? What problems are they asking you to solve?

“The main concern is how to adopt AI without opening the door to unmanaged risk. Businesses know they can’t sit this one out, but they’re looking for help building the right guardrails to manage risk; especially with evolving regulation and the rise of AI-powered threats like deepfake vishing and advanced phishing.”

Bilfinger

Nnamdi Ozonma — Information Security Officer UK & Nordic Regions

1. What are you here at Visions to discuss with your peers in the cybersecurity and IT space? 

“The first panel I was part of was the Threat Detection & AI Panel Discussion. We were looking at establishing trust, mitigating risks, and safeguarding security in the age of AI. I focused on how to balance the benefits of AI with the challenges of building trust, managing risks, and ensuring security.”

“Then, I had a deep dive into looking at an age where individuals don’t verify, they just take information, no longer researching to see if the information is correct.”

“I always remain sceptical, whilst understanding the value of efficiency. AI is now embedded in so many tools, but now the main concern is the people within the organisation. Monitoring and education are essential. People will often try to find a shortcut and the easy way to go about things. Until training, governance and understanding is at a level where there can be trust, I suggest turning it off.”

Ripjar

Nick Cooper — Vice President, Information Security

1. These are challenging times for cybersecurity teams. How has 2025 been going for you and Ripjar? 

“Ripjar utilises new and emerging technology to solve customer problems in cyber threat investigations and anti-financial crime compliance. We’ve been able to help organisations achieve record results – identifying connections, anomalies and potential risks, while reducing false positives and increasing true positives – leading to best-in-class results in many industries. We’re excited to be sharing that technology, alongside further innovations, with other organisations as we expand our global coverage.”

“The advent of generative AI creates vast risks and opportunities. It also shifts perspectives on existing machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies. It has been exciting to see how the newest AI can be combined with non-generative AI and other technologies to create new solutions to the problems that keep our customers awake at night.”

2. What are some of the challenges organisations are facing that you can help them with? 

“Ripjar serves customers in several areas. Our anti-financial crime customers are trying to make sense of the ever-expanding business risks presented by their customers and counterparties in a tumultuous world. We’re able to help them in that journey, whether it’s responding to changing Russian or Middle East sanctions or aligning with the massive political changes that have impacted PEP (politically exposed persons) regimes all around the world.”

“Using foundational AI, we find broad risks in the media – which is often referred to as negative news or adverse media. That means reading through millions of daily news articles to identify risk signals which are important to those handling the world’s global payments or trading internationally. Agility is a key requirement for our customers, and machine learning and AI make it possible to make sense of huge quantities of structured and unstructured data quickly and accurately.”

“Our cyber customers are sophisticated threat investigators working in complex environments, including a number of MSSPs. They rely on our data fusion and investigations software to identify potential threats to their data and ultimately their businesses.”

Looking at the future

The shadows of GenAI, looming threats, and a shifting regulatory landscape loom over the global cybersecurity and IT communities, but the tone is also optimistic. While every leader we spoke to at Visions CIO + CISO acknowledged the threat posed by emerging technologies, many were also excited by the potential of GenAI tools to detect threats and help strengthen cybersecurity defenses.

Given how quickly the circumstances surrounding cybersecurity have changed in just a few short years, it’s almost impossible to predict where we’ll be by the end of the decade. However, the experts we spoke to at Visions are approaching the future with both eyes open — watchful for new risks, and determined to capitalise on new opportunities. 

The next Visions CIO + CISO Summit (Autumn, UK) is taking place at the Allianz Stadium in London on 13 – 15 October, 2025. Learn more and register to attend here.

  • Cybersecurity
  • Events
  • Host Perspectives

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

1 April 2025

Estimated Read time

3Mins

Read in brochure format

This month’s cover story looks at the role technology is playing at Republic Bank driving financial inclusion for the Caribbean…

This month’s cover story looks at the role technology is playing at Republic Bank driving financial inclusion for the Caribbean and beyond…

Welcome to the latest issue of Interface magazine!

Read the latest issue here!

Republic Bank: Building a Digital Bank

Trinidad’s Republic Bank has been serving customers via its branches for over 185 years and now serves 16 different countries across the Caribbean and beyond. It’s “a regional bank with a growing global reach,” explains Group Chief Information & Digital Transformation Officer, Houston Ross. His team is building a digital bank during a Year of Delivery and Accountability (YODA). “It’s easy to be overwhelmed with the ideas of what’s possible so it’s up to our team to channel its work in the right direction for the bank. We’ve been aiming to facilitate a shift from project to product – the traditional project mindset is stop/start. But when we talk about digitalisation it’s a journey that never ends. And product is the vehicle to make sure we’re continuously improving.

“We’ve had success with initiatives like our Endcash digital wallet – which now features more than 1,000 merchants and over 10,000 customers successfully onboarded. This is our digital pathway and we have to change minds in terms of going beyond the challenges to achieve what’s possible with the right frameworks, tools and processes for our people to serve our customers.”

Carrefour: Bridging the linguistic divide with technology

Zoe Bordelon, Global L&D Lead at Carrefour, digs deep into the company’s desire to bring better communication to its staff and customers through the magic of language-learning.

“We needed to give our team a way to learn languages and improve their communication…We work closely with the different countries to make sure we’re all aligned for the group roadmap, while also supporting them in delivering our initiatives to employees.”

Glovo: Cybersecurity as a business enabler

We speak with Glovo’s Head of Security, Rafael Di Bari, on managing a global business-wide transformation to make Cybersecurity a business enabler at the leading Spanish tech platform connecting users across 23 countries with a range of on-demand services.

“At Glovo aim to create a robust security framework that adapts to emerging threats and aligns with our strategic business objectives.”

Read the latest issue here!

Author

Nell Walker

Published

12 March 2025

Estimated Read time

2Mins

Meet, greet, and learn from fellow IT professionals at VISIONS CIO + CISO Leadership Summit on the 28th to the 30th of April 2025. At the Allianz Stadium in London, you’ll discover the newest solutions and strategies on the market, while making meaningful connections with your peers.

Over the course of the VISIONS event, attendees will have access to over 30 presentations and eight different sessions, as well as panels involving numerous expert speakers, and peer-to-peer roundtables.

Interface Magazine is thrilled to announce that our magazine is a media partner of VISIONS UK! For the CIO + CISO Leadership Summit, VISIONS is offering a VIP code for our readership. Secure your free pass here and use the code INTF-VIP for the full VIP experience!

Taking the challenge out of change

The pressure to modernise is at an all-time high, but the VISIONS CIO + CISO Leadership Summit provides a welcoming and informative atmosphere for you to learn about updating your systems, tackling cybersecurity threats, and building AI strategies.

The event is reserved for executives, and aims to support your professional and departmental goals across the board. The programme is tailored to enlighten, educate, and support CIOs and CISOs in their technology journeys.

Agenda

  • Eight sessions
  • 30+ presentations
  • 30+ speakers across panels, fireside chats and peer-to-peer roundtables

Alongside your free pass, use the VIP code INTF-VIP to also gain access to the following:

  • Complimentary accommodation for one night
  • On-site food and drinks provided
  • Multiple networking receptions with open bar
  • Travel reimbursement

Designed to address your challenges

This event aims to put an end to the usual wandering around the exhibition hall in order to find the information you want. During registration, you’ll have the chance to explain the current challenges you’re facing in business, and Visions will do the hard work in arranging meetings with a tailored set of solutions providers. You’ll be connected directly with the people who can help, in a bespoke, no-pressure environment.

Register today! Click here to book, and use our unique media partner code for VIP treatment: INTF-VIP

  • Event Newsroom

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

26 February 2025

Estimated Read time

2Mins

Tech Show London is coming to Excel March 12-13. Register for your free ticket now!

Unlock unparalleled value with a single ticket that gets you free access to five industry-leading technology shows. Welcome to Cloud & AI Infrastructure, DevOps Live, Cloud & Cyber Security Expo, Big Data & AI World, and Data Centre World.

Tech Show London has it all. Don’t miss this immersive journey into the latest trends and innovations.

Discover tomorrow’s tech today

Unleash Potential, Embrace the Future. Hear from the greatest tech minds, all in one place.

Dive into a world where cutting-edge ideas shape your tomorrow. Tech Show London is the epicentre of technology innovation in London and beyond, hosting the brightest minds in technology, AI, cyber security, DevOps, and cloud all under one roof.

The Mainstage Theatre is not just a stage; it’s a launchpad for innovative ideas. Witness a stellar lineup featuring world-renowned experts from across the tech stack, influential C-level executives, key government figures, and the vanguards of AI and cybersecurity. All ready to share ideas set to rock the industry.

GLOBAL INSPIRATION, LOCAL IMPACT

Seize the opportunity to be inspired by global visionaries. Furthermore, with speakers from the UK, USA, and beyond, prepare to be inspired by transformative concepts and actionable strategies from technology insiders, ensuring your business stays ahead in an ever-evolving technology landscape.

Where the future of technology takes the stage

Secure your competitive edge at Tech Show London, the UK’s award-winning convergence of the industry’s brightest tech minds.

On 12-13 March 2025, gain vital foresight into the disruptive technologies reshaping your market, and position your organisation at the forefront of technology’s next frontier.

If you’re defining your business’s tech roadmap, register for your free ticket to join us at Excel London.

Register for FREE

Register for your Ticket

  • Cybersecurity
  • Data & AI
  • Digital Strategy
  • Event Newsroom
  • Infrastructure & Cloud

Author

Nell Walker

Published

20 November 2024

Estimated Read time

6Mins

Xerox has been a household name for decades. For many, it’s associated with photocopiers and printers. After all, it’s the…

Xerox has been a household name for decades. For many, it’s associated with photocopiers and printers. After all, it’s the largest print company in the world. But it’s also a technology powerhouse that’s been at the forefront of a great deal of innovation. It has undergone a journey of evolution and reinvention into an IT and digital services provider. That’s what led to the business acquiring a large managed service provider, Altodigital, in 2020. 

Derek Gunton has spent nearly 20 years in the technology sphere. He came to Xerox as part of the Altodigital acquisition. Altodigital also started out as a management print organisation and evolved into the IT services side, so its journey mirrors Xerox’s in many ways. “Now, as we move into the next technological age powered by AI and automation, we’ve put ourselves in a good position,” says Gunton. 

“Xerox continues to evolve as a company. It recently announced the acquisition of another large managed services IT business called Savvy, which will double the size of the IT services business. That gives us a lot of speciality, a lot of scale, and prepares us for that leap into the technologies of the future.”

Supporting Lanes Group’s technology

Xerox has been supporting Lanes Group in its own growth journey for a few years now. It doesn’t provide print services, but the IT and digital services Xerox is gradually becoming known for. The relationship began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the working environment was very different. Businesses were trying to figure out how to continue to operate as normally as possible and provide certainty for staff.

“There were just two of us from Xerox working with them, and we were talking about room planning software,” says Gunton. “How do you manage how many people are in the building? How do they book spaces, or manage people in line with the COVID legislation that was in place? The conversation started there. Then, we were asked what we could do around providing some managed service desk support just to assist the internal team at the time – and it’s grown from there. Four years later, we have over 30 members of staff dedicated to the Lanes account, supporting more than 4,000 users across over 50 states.

“We’re very much an operation that compliments Lanes Group. The thing that has always worked well is that we have the ability to respond and scale. Lanes have been on their own journey over the last few years to the point that they’re truly industry-leading, and we’ve managed to keep up whilst always looking to innovate, make suggestions, and bring new solutions to the table.”

An integrated technology partnership

Lanes Group supports key utilities including water and gas. What it does is absolutely critical. If there are problems in those areas, millions of people can be affected. So while Lanes has a huge responsibility to always be ready to support those utilities at all times, Xerox has just as much of a responsibility to be in a position to support Lanes.

“It’s massively important, and everybody in our business is briefed on what Lanes does to ensure we understand that responsibility,” says Gunton. “In my career, I’ve seen lots of different structures in terms of how we work with clients. Sometimes it can be very much a supplier-client relationship where it’s very siloed and formal. What sets our relationship with Lanes Group apart is that it’s a very integrated partnership. There are several meetings every week. There are dedicated program managers, and every product area has its owner. We have very strict SLAs to adhere to and the only way to deliver what Lanes needs is through communication and mutual support.”

Streamlining inconsistencies 

A perfect example of the collaborative relationship between Xerox and Lanes Group is the secure network solution Xerox put in place. Effectively, Xerox mapped out and replaced the network infrastructure of all Lanes Group sites, giving better visibility, better control, and a better user experience.

“When we first reviewed the sites, there were over 50 of them running independently. That was difficult for the IT team to manage,” says Gunton. “It led to a lot of inconsistencies. We had mixed feedback from end users. Our aim was to introduce a technology system that would give the users the ability to have a consistent experience across all sites. We worked with our partners at HPE to identify the latest Ariba access solutions available, and deployment across all sites has been very successful. It’s also improved security, giving users the ability to skip length authentication processes. The user experience is really smooth now, which is what we were after.”

Creating agility

Working as partners, not in a supplier-client capacity, has made all the difference for the two businesses. From robot process automation to take manual tasks away from humans, to the increased use of AI-driven tools, Xerox is providing Lanes with what it needs to be agile. It’s a relationship based on trust and a shared goal.

“I do appreciate the help from the stakeholders at Lanes, because they embrace the same kind of culture,” Gunton says. “Often we’ll do joint meetings where we all address the same problem or desire to innovate together. We trust each others’ skill sets and openness to really come up with a solution. Ultimately, it’s all people-driven. It’s based on having really clever people in the right places, and we’ve built up a really solid team over the years.”

The evolution Lanes Group is going through isn’t going to slow down any time soon. That means Xerox’s work won’t either. Gunton states: “Our broad priorities with Lanes also reflect the current UK landscape. Data integration and automation are the areas we’re continuing to focus on. We have to think about how we deliver that. In terms of data, there needs to be one true source. You have to be really confident in the information you have, being as accurate as possible.”

What’s key for Xerox is ensuring that Lanes Group is able to shift from being reactive to more proactive. That is its focus. “We’re already delivering technology solutions to better equip Lanes to respond in that manner. I think the next year is going to be really exciting as we continue to develop that. We believe that we will continue to put Lanes at the forefront of their industry with the solutions that we supply.”

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

Estimated Read time

5Mins

Read in brochure format

This month’s cover story throws the spotlight on the ground-up technology transformation journey at Lanes Group – a leading water…

This month’s cover story throws the spotlight on the ground-up technology transformation journey at Lanes Group – a leading water and wastewater solutions and services provider in the UK.

Welcome to the latest issue of Interface magazine!

Read the latest issue here!

Lanes Group: A Ground-Up Tech Transformation

In a world driven by transformation, it’s rare a leader gets the opportunity to deliver organisational change in its purest form… Lanes Group – the leading water and wastewater solutions services provider – has started again from the ground up with IT Director Mo Dawood at the helm.

“I’ve always focused on transformation,” he reflects. “Particularly around how we make things better, more efficient, or more effective for the business and its people. The end-user journey is crucial. So many times you see organisations thinking they can buy the best tech and systems, plug them in, and they’ve solved the problem. You have to understand the business, the technology side, and the people in equal measure. It’s core to any transformation.”

Mo’s roadmap for transformation centred on four key areas: HR and payroll, management of the group’s vehicle fleet, migrating to a new ERP system, and health and safety. “People were first,” he comments. “Getting everyone on the same HR and payroll system would enable the HR department to transition, helping us have a greater understanding of where we were as a business and providing a single point of information for who we employ and how we need to grow.”

Schneider Electric: End-to-End Supply Chain Cybersecurity

Schneider Electric provides energy and digital automation and industrial IoT solutions for customers in homes, buildings, industries, and critical infrastructure. The company serves 16 critical sectors. It has a vast digital footprint spanning the globe, presenting a complex and ever-evolving risk landscape and attack surface. Cybersecurity, product security and data protection, and a robust and protected end-to-end supply chain for software, hardware, and firmware are fundamental to its business.

“From a critical infrastructure perspective, one of the big challenges is that the defence posture of the base can vary,” says Cassie Crossley, VP, Supply Chain Security, Cybersecurity & Product Security Office.

“We believe in something called ‘secure by operations’, which is similar to a cloud shared responsibility model. Nation state and malicious actors are looking for open and available devices on networks. Operational technology and systems that are not built with defence at the core and not normally intended to be internet facing. The fact these products are out there and not behind a DMZ network to add an extra layer of security presents a big risk. It essentially means companies are accidentally exposing their networks. To mitigate this we work with the Department of Energy, CISA, other global agencies, and Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Through our initiative we identify customers inadvertently doing this we inform them and provide information on the risk.”

Persimmon Homes: Digital Innovation in Construction

As an experienced FTSE100 Group CIO who has enabled transformation some of the UK’s largest organisations, Persimmon Homes‘ Paul Coby knows a thing or two about what it takes to be a successful CIO. Fifty things, to be precise. Like the importance of bridging the gap between technology and business priorities, and how all IT projects must be business projects. That IT is a team sport, that communication is essential to deliver meaningful change – and that people matter more than technology. And that if you’re not scared sometimes, you’re not really understanding what being the CIO is.

“There’s no such thing as an IT strategy; instead, IT is an integral part of the business strategy”

WCDSB: Empowering learning through technology innovation

‘Tech for good’, or ‘tech with purpose’. Both liberally used phrases across numerous industries and sectors today. But few purposes are greater than providing the tools, technology, and innovations essential for guiding children on their educational journey. Meanwhile, also supporting the many people who play a crucial role in helping learners along the way. Chris Demers and his IT Services Department team at the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) have the privilege of delivering on this kind of purpose day in, day out. A mission they neatly summarise as ‘empower, innovate, and foster success’. 

“The Strategic Plan projects out five years across four areas,” Demers explains. “It addresses endpoint devices, connectivity and security as dictated by business and academic needs. We focus on infrastructure, bandwidth, backbone networks, wifi, security, network segmentation, firewall infrastructure, and cloud services. Process improvement includes areas like records retention, automated workflows, student data systems, parent portals, and administrative systems. We’re fully focused on staff development and support.”

Read the latest issue here!

  • Data & AI
  • Digital Strategy
  • People & Culture

Author

Nell Walker

Published

14 November 2024

Estimated Read time

6Mins

Certain procurement pain points can prove debilitating for a business, freezing it in its tracks when it’s trying to grow…

Certain procurement pain points can prove debilitating for a business, freezing it in its tracks when it’s trying to grow and improve. This is where companies like Candex are able to step in and turn a headache into something so simple, it requires no further thought. 

Danielle McQuiston is the Chief Customer Officer at Candex. She’s been with the fintech startup for five years, spending two decades prior to that working in procurement at Sanofi. Candex is a technology-based master vendor that allows customers to engage with and pay one-off or small suppliers without setting them up in their system. This means that the system doesn’t get clogged up with suppliers that are rarely or never going to be used again. 

“We’re primarily used for what companies consider tail spend, and we typically deliver it as a punchout catalogue for a really simple user experience,” McQuiston explains. That ability to support lots of customers was what drew her to the role. “Coming to Candex, I was very excited about what they were doing and wanted to help as many companies as possible.”

Addressing tail spend

That ability to address tail spend in a unique way is the main thing that differentiates Candex. It’s an enormous problem for procurement professionals. The way Candex delivers it is through a digital plug-and-play solution, removing the need to be dependent on human intervention. “It’s a horizontal solution for any good or service, and it’s available in over 45 countries now,” says McQuiston. “It becomes part of the customer’s ecosystems and leverages the P2P process. It’s super compliant, and allows a lot of control.”

With this tool in place, Candex’s customers are able to gain much better control over their smaller purchases, defining what is allowed to be purchased. For many, this tool allows them to put tighter restrictions on purchases than their e-procurement systems are able to do. Additionally, Candex runs suppliers through screenings every day, which generally doesn’t happen for small, rarely-used suppliers.

“We run really detailed compliance and sanction screening against all those vendors, taking away a really daunting task from customers,” McQuiston states. “Customers probably check those suppliers once when they’re being set up, but then they never look at them again. Every day, we’re checking them, and keeping an eye on them when our customers can’t.”

Candex’s reporting is extremely detailed, and provides customers with the kind of real-time visibility they wouldn’t normally get – even in their own systems. Reports are generated weekly or monthly, including the diversity status of suppliers. This is data that a lot of clients then feed directly into their Power BI tools and data lakes, meaning they’re able to integrate it seamlessly into their other data.

Cleaning up the data

The whole purpose and aim of Candex’s tool is to make life easier for its customers, streamline its processes, and improve efficiencies. To that end, standardisation is key when it comes to business improvements, and that includes preparing data prior to implementing new technologies and processes. When it comes to ensuring a business’s data is healthy –  before launching into major tech changes – accepting the necessity of making foundational change is key. 

“Data cleansing processes are ugly, cumbersome, and long – and everyone has to do them,” McQuiston comments. “But you have to accept that you’re going to have to do something, if you want to get a handle on your spend. First and foremost, you need to standardise the way you name things, the way you put data in the system, and you need a really strict discipline around that. All of those things will make backend processes a lot easier.”

It’s just one of many considerations CPOs need to bear in mind when seeking out technology solutions and implementation. Modern procurement departments have a seat at the wider business table now, and what they do impacts the entire business. So when it comes to utilising solutions for the sake of the business at large, there are many factors to think about.

“As with any data or technology, it’s all about garbage in and garbage out,” says McQuiston. “Any advanced technology should be used with caution and viewed with a critical eye. You have to start with knowing what you want out of it. 

“A lot of times, people put technology in place because it looks interesting, but you need to start with the problem and work backwards. If the issue is user experience, you need to make sure that whatever you’re implementing focuses on a positive UX. If the problem is unclean data, you need to make sure you’re putting in place all the foundational elements you need to make that better. Always start from the perspective of implementing a technology based on a problem, rather than the other way around.”

Improving UX in 2025

It’s a seriously dynamic time to be involved in procurement right now, as evidenced by the intense buzz around us at DPW Amsterdam as we sit with McQuiston. As we look ahead, she envisions that procurement will have an increasingly powerful impact on user experience. This is particularly important at a time when tasks are becoming increasingly automated, with less and less direct human interaction.

“We’re also seeing a pretty big leap forward in terms of best practice sharing amongst our clients,” says McQuiston, something that events like DPW also encourage. “For Candex, a big theme of 2024 has been getting our clients together to share best practices and information, helping them to develop further expertise in the field. 2025 will have more of the same, but there’s now a higher level of maturity out there in the way customers are considering tail spend. As people continue to onboard solutions, it will be interesting to see how that impacts the UX in relation to Candex. We’re always looking for ways to make our tool more user-friendly and add better functionality.”

All of this is why Candex’s customers love the company. On a base level, Candex takes a complex pain point and makes it simple. In a broader sense, the reason Candex is becoming so popular is the way it works with people. “The most common feedback we get from customers and suppliers is that we’re great to work with because we’re so flexible,” says McQuiston. “We hired a team of procurement experts, so our team is made up of people who really understand the pain of our clients, and can anticipate their fears, their needs, and cater to those.”

  • Digital Procurement

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

5 September 2024

Estimated Read time

3Mins

Read in brochure format

Our cover star, EY’s Global Chief Data Officer Marco Vernocchi, tells Interface why data is a “team sport” and reveals…

Our cover star, EY’s Global Chief Data Officer Marco Vernocchi, tells Interface why data is a “team sport” and reveals the transformation journey towards realising its potential for one of the world’s largest professional services organisations.

Welcome to the latest issue of Interface magazine!

Read the latest issue here!

EY: A data-driven company

Global Chief Data Officer, Marco Vernocchi, reflects on the data transformation journey at one of the world’s largest professional services networks.

“Data is pervasive, it’s everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It’s not a physical asset, but it’s a part of every business activity every day. I joined EY in 2019 as the first Global Chief Data Officer. Our vision was to recognise data as a strategic competitive asset for the organisation. Through the efforts of leadership and the Data Office team, we’ve elevated data from a commodity utility to an asset. Our formal data strategy defined with clarity the purpose, scope, goals and timeline of how we manage data across EY.  Bringing data to the centre of what we do has created a competitive asset that is transforming the way we work.”

PivotalEdge Capital

Sid Ghatak, Founder & CEO of asset management firm PivotalEdge Capital, spoked to us about the pioneering use of “data-centric AI” for trading models capable of solving the problems of trust and cost.

“I’ve always advocated data-driven decision-making throughout my career,” says Ghatak. “I knew when I started an asset management firm that it needed to be data-centric AI from the very beginning. A few early missteps in my career taught me the importance of having a stable and reliable flow of data in production systems and that became a criterion.”

LSC Communications

Piotr Topor, Director of Information Security & Governance at LSC Communications, discusses tackling the cyber skills shortage, AI, and bringing together the business and IT to create a cyber-conscious culture at a global leader in print and digital media solutions.

Topor tells Interface: “The main challenge we’re dealing with is overcoming the disconnect between cybersecurity and business goals.”

América Televisión

Interface meets again with Jose Hernandez, Chief Digital Officer at América Televisión, who reveals how the company is embracing new business models, and maintaining market leadership in Peru.

“Launching our FAST channel represents a pivotal step in diversifying our content delivery and monetisation strategies. Furthermore, aligning us with global trends while catering to the changing viewing habits of our audience,” says Hernandez.

Also in this issue of Interface, we hear from eflow about new approaches to Regtech; get the lowdown on bridging the AI skills gap from CI&T; and GCX on the best ways to navigate changing cybersecurity regulations.

Enjoy the issue!

Dan Brightmore, Editor

  • Digital Strategy

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

12 June 2024

Estimated Read time

4Mins

Read in brochure format

Kelvin Moore, CISO & Acting Deputy CIO, on a successful cyber transformation journey at the US Small Business Administration driven by federal agency collaboration

This month’s cover story celebrates a successful cyber transformation journey driven by federal agency collaboration.

Welcome to the latest issue of Interface magazine!

Read the latest issue here!

In this month’s issue…

US Small Business Administration: Evolving with Technology

Kelvin Moore, CISO & Acting Deputy CIO, reveals a successful cyber transformation journey at the US Small Business Administration driven by federal agency collaboration. Moore is tasked with securing a platform that offers support for small businesses and entrepreneurs. “It’s my team’s mission to ensure cybersecurity across the agency from an operational perspective and in turn guarantee the security of the programs that support our constituents.”

NAB Private Wealth: Comprehensive, integrated, and relationship-led

NAB (National Australia Bank) Private Wealth’s Michael Saadie and Mike Allen share a vision for comprehensive, integrated wealth management enabled by technology but driven by people. We learn more… “To achieve efficiency and simplification, we’ve consolidated all wealth operations under one channel,” Saadie explains. “Previously, JBWere, nabtrade, and our investment advisors operated independently. Now, we’ve brought these teams together and integrated them end-to-end. This means our operations team provides core capabilities serving all distribution channels.”

The AA: Driving growth with a powerful legacy

Nick Edwards, Group CDO at The AA, talks about the organisation’s incredible technology transformation and how these changes directly benefit its customers. “2024 has been a milestone year for the business, marking the completion of the first phase of the future growth strategy we’ve been focused on since the appointment of our new CEO, Jakob Pfaudler,” he explains. Revenues have grown by over 20%, allowing The AA to drive customer growth. “All of this has been delivered by our refreshed management team,” Edwards continues. “It reflects the strength of our people across the business and the broader cultural transformation of The AA in the last three years.”

Piedmont Healthcare: Data-driven progress

We first spoke with Piedmont Healthcare’s Mark Jackson in the winter of 2022. Since then, the scope of his role at the healthcare provider has expanded considerably. Now its Chief Data Officer (CDO), Jackson has overseen a reorg of his 45-strong team. “I take a lot of pride in efficiency,” he reveals. “I think it’s the key component of our success. Everybody experiences failure. What I want us to do is have the ability to fail quickly and get to working solutions faster because I believe in this way, we can deliver a lot of value with a small and nimble team.”

Nuffield Health: Agile digital transformation

When we talk about incredible digital transformations in Interface Magazine, it’s really only a snapshot of an organisation. In reality, this kind of digital transformation is an ongoing process with no end. When we spoke to Jacqs Harper and Dave Ankers from Nuffield Health in 2022, they had a few things in mind to keep them busy as the charity’s big change evolved.

However, as this transformation evolved, an explosion of change happened in so many directions. Far more than the organisation’s technology team intended. Harper (who leads Technology at Nuffield Health), Ankers (IT Strategy & Delivery Director), and Mark Howard (Head of Technology Engineering) have followed up over 18 months after the initial interview to really dig into all the exciting things that have changed since then, and expand on all of Nuffield Health’s ambitious plans.

Also in this issue, we round up the top events in tech; get advice from Bayezian on how to avoid the risks associated with jailbreaking LLMs and speak with iGTB CEO Manish Maakan about leadership in the FinTech space. And to keep up to date with the latest insights and developments in this space check out our new launch, FinTech Strategy.

Enjoy the issue!

  • Digital Strategy

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

16 May 2024

Estimated Read time

4Mins

Read in brochure format

We’re excited to celebrate the 50th issue of Interface magazine with our readers. During a half century of monthly magazines,…

We’re excited to celebrate the 50th issue of Interface magazine with our readers. During a half century of monthly magazines, we’ve delivered insights from technology leaders representing an array of industries from banking and healthcare to IT and construction. We’re proud to feature a diverse range of companies – from Amazon to Zoom – at the cutting edge of tech and keep lifting the lid on the latest developments in everything from AI and Cybersecurity to CX and Fintech. We’re keen to see what the next 50 issues will bring and hope you’ll join us on that journey…

Welcome to the latest issue of Interface magazine!

Read the latest issue here!

In this month’s issue…

Virgin Media O2 Business:

David Cornwell, Director – Small to Medium Enterprise, talks about the unfolding telco integration journey at Virgin Media O2 Business delivering benefits for Business customers. “There’s been a huge process of rationalisation and requalifying what we need to unlock efficiencies. It’s a technology journey our customers are on too. We understand the challenges inherent in that so, as a customer-first organisation, we’re well placed to support them bringing mobile and fixed connectivity services together in one place.”

Abzena:

CIO David Williamson describes the work Abzena is doing with transformative technology, its use of data, and what the future of health tech looks like… “We’re always trying to use data to help our client achieve more with it. And Abzena is very innovative on the scientific front… Having the opportunity to see things that weren’t possible to see when looked at traditionally is having a dramatic impact on how we’re able to treat diseases.”

York County:

Director of IT Tim Wyatt discusses technology in local government, cybersecurity outreach, and why community is at the heart of his team’s work at York County. “We’ll continue to make smart investments for cybersecurity, work to stay ahead of the new threats to our citizen’s data, and ensure we’re entrusted with and reliably provide services that our citizens and our County can depend on.”

Klamath Health:

Klamath Health Partnership’s CTO Jessica Chastain describes the work she’s done to upgrade the organisation, the challenges that come with rural healthcare, and how she’s using data for good. “Data can show you a lot about the health of your organisation, including how to grow or shrink it to make it the best environment for your clientele.”

Also in this issue, we hear from Global & UK CEO Carlos Jaureguizar about the digital transformation journey helping Bupa become the world’s most customer-centric healthcare company, Mizaic CEO Jon Pickering explains how harnessing data-driven insights at the point of care can be achieved with a new EDMS (electronic document management system) and we re-visit our chat with Lloyds Banking Group’s CIO for Consumer Relationships & Mass Affluent, Martyn Atkinson, to learn how an ambitious FinTech journey, combined with a people-centred culture, is driving change for customers and colleagues across the Group.

Enjoy the issue!

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

4 April 2024

Estimated Read time

5Mins

Our cover story this month focuses on the work of Gregg Aldana and his team. The Global Area Vice President,…

Our cover story this month focuses on the work of Gregg Aldana and his team. The Global Area Vice President, Creator Workflows Specialist Solution Consulting at ServiceNow, reveals how a disruptive approach to technology can drive innovation. “We were inspired by our customers – they were the ones who started tapping into our underlying platform to build their own custom applications and workflows.”

Welcome to the latest issue of Interface magazine!

Welcome to a world of possibilities where technology meets business at the interface of change…

Read the latest issue here!

ServiceNow: Tech disruption delivering change

Gregg Aldana, Global Area Vice President, Creator Workflows Specialist Solution Consulting at ServiceNow, on how a disruptive approach to technology can drive innovation. “We were inspired by our customers – they were the ones who started tapping into our underlying platform to build their own custom applications and workflows.”

Harry Reid International Airport: A technology transformation journey

Chief Information Technology Officer Rishma M. Khimji on the digital transformation journey delivering seamless passenger experiences to millions of travellers at one of America’s busiest airports. “We have multiple large projects planned to build that next baseline for Harry Reid International Airport. We’re moving up our levels of service, our redundancy, our recovery and our protective services to truly be a technology focused forward-looking airport.”

CBA: A new dawn of digital adoption for business banking

At the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), Michael Vacy-Lyle, Group Executive for Business, is driving the renaissance for business banking with a wave of digital development at Australia’s largest bank. “Our goal is utilising our data assets to differentiate CBA and completely change the way our business customers see their bank.”

Telia: Scaling for tomorrow

Telia‘s Cloud & IT Infrastructure leader Kai Viljanen on scaling and future-proofing a tech transformation. “IT businesses in recent years are starting to move even faster with customer demands. It’s extremely important to keep improving time-to-market. There’s increasing demand for IT organisations to offer more services with reduced costs. Telia’s top management released our new strategy and IT transformation initiative around four years ago. We’ve been working on it ever since.”

Peavey Industries: Adapting ecommerce to customer needs

Peavey Technology & Ecommerce leader Shaun Guthrie on keeping the customer at the heart of business transformation. “If you’re going to bury your head in the sand with old technology, you won’t survive the up cycles.”

CNA: A cultural revolution empowering transformation

Rizwan Jan, CIO of CNA Corporation, on prioritising the significance of fostering cultural shifts while navigating business transformation and addressing cyber risk. “We’re promoting a culture with a security-first mindset where every employee understands their role in safeguarding our data and our systems.”

Virginia ABC: IT freedom through strategic partnership

CIO Paul Williams on Virginia ABC‘s transformation, the process of becoming independent, and how businesses can avoid IT obsolescence. “We believe that if we can keep our customers happy with our service and delivery, we are more likely to be able to continue modernising the last few legacy systems.”

Also in this issue, we hear from Emergn CEO Alex Adamopulos on the need for a dual mindset approach in the adoption of advanced technology, round up the must attend tech events and speak with Sanofi‘s Landry Giardina, Global Head of Clinical Supply Chain Operations Innovation & Technology talks data-driven performance, resilience, and operational excellence.

Enjoy the issue!

Dan Brightmore, Editor

  • Digital Strategy

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

6 March 2024

Estimated Read time

3Mins

Read in brochure format

Our cover story this month focuses on the work of Arianne Gallagher-Welcher. As the Executive Director for the USDA Digital…

Our cover story this month focuses on the work of Arianne Gallagher-Welcher. As the Executive Director for the USDA Digital Service, in the Office of the OCIO, her team’s mission is to drive a tech transformation at the USDA. The goal is to better serve the American people across all of its 50 states.

Welcome to the latest issue of Interface magazine!

Welcome to a new year of possibility where technology meets business at the interface of change…

Read the latest issue here!

USDA: The People’s Agency

“We knew that in order for us to deliver what we needed for our stakeholders, we needed to be flexible – and that has trickled down from our senior leaders.” Arianne Gallagher-Welcher, Executive Director for the USDA Digital Service reveals the strategic plan’s first goal. Above all, the aim is to deliver customer-centric IT so farmers, producers, and families can find dealing with USDA as easy as using an ATM.

BCX: Delivering insights & intelligence across the Data & AI value chain

We also sat down with Stefan Steffen, Executive Leader for Data Insights & Intelligence at BCX. He revealed how BCX is leveraging AI to strategically transform businesses and drive their growth. “Our commitment to leveraging data and AI to drive innovation harnesses the power of technology to unlock new opportunities, drive efficiency, and enhance competitiveness for our clients.”

Momentum Multiply: A culture-driven digital transformation for wellness

Multiply Inspire & Engage is a new offering from leading South African insurance provider Momentum Health Solutions. Furthermore, it is the first digital wellness rewards program in South Africa to balance mental health and physical health in pursuing holistic wellness. CIO, Ndibulele Mqoboli, discusses re-platforming, cloud migrations, and building a culture of ownership, responsibility, and continuous improvement.

Clark County: Creating collaboration for the benefit of residents

Navigating the world of local government can be a minefield of red tape, both for citizens and those working within it. Al Pitts, Deputy CIO of Clark County, talks to us about the organisation’s IT transformation. He explains why collaboration is key to support residents. “We have found our new Clark County – ‘Together for Better’ – is a great way to collaborate on new solutions.”

Also in this issue, we hear from Alibaba’s European GM Jijay Shen on why digitalisation can be a driving force for SMEs. We learn how businesses can get cybersecurity right with KnowBe4 and analyse the rise of ‘The Mobility Society’.

Enjoy the issue!

Dan Brightmore, Editor

  • People & Culture

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

31 January 2024

Estimated Read time

4Mins

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For our first cover story of 2024 we meet with Lloyds Banking Group’s CIO for Consumer Relationships & Mass Affluent,…

For our first cover story of 2024 we meet with Lloyds Banking Group’s CIO for Consumer Relationships & Mass Affluent, Martyn Atkinson, to learn how an ambitious growth agenda, combined with a people-centred culture, is driving change for customers and colleagues across the Group.

Welcome to the latest issue of Interface magazine!

Welcome to a new year of possibility where technology meets business at the interface of change…

Read the latest issue here!

Lloyds Banking Group: A technology & business strategy

“We’ve made significant strides in transforming our business for the future,” explains Martyn Atkinson, CIO for Consumer Relationships & Mass Affluent at Lloyds Banking Group. “I’m really proud of what the team have achieved. There’s loads more to go after. It’s a really exciting time as we become a modern, progressive, tech-enabled business. We’ve aimed to maintain pace and an agile mindset. We want to get products and services out to our customers and colleagues. We’ll test and learn to see if what we’re doing is actually making a meaningful difference.”

AFRICOM: Organisational resilience through cybersecurity

We also speak with U.S. Africa Command’s (AFRICOM) CISO Ryan Larsen on developing the right culture to build cyber awareness. He is committed to driving secure and continued success for the Department of Defence. “I often think of every day working in cyberspace a lot like counterinsurgency warfare and my time in Afghanistan. You had to be on top of your game every minute of every day. The adversary only needs to get lucky one time to find you with that IED.”

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ALIC: Creating synergy to scale at speed with Lolli

Since 2009 the Australian Lending & Investment Centre (ALIC) has been matching Australians with loans that help build their wealth. It has delivered over $8.3bn in loans to more than 22,000 leading Australian investors and businesses. Managing Director Damian Brander talks ethical lending and the challenges of a shifting financial landscape. ALIC has also built Lolli – a broker enhancement platform built by brokers, for brokers.

Sime Darby Motors: Driving digital, cultural, and business transformation together

Sime Darby Berhad is one of the oldest and most successful multinational companies in Malaysia. It has a twin focus on the Industrial and Motors sectors. The company employs more than 24,000 people, operating across 17 countries and territories. Sime Darby Motors’ Chief Digital & Information Officer Tuan Jean Tee shares how he makes sure digital, cultural, and process transformation go hand in hand throughout one of APAC’s largest automotive multinationals.

Also in this issue, we hear from Microsoft on the art of sustainable supply chain transformation, Tecnotree map the key trends set to impact the telecoms industry in 2024 and our panel of experts chart the big Fintech predictions for the year ahead.

Enjoy the issue!

Dan Brightmore, Editor

  • Fintech & Insurtech

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

12 October 2023

Estimated Read time

4Mins

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Cybersecurity leader Shinesa Cambric on Microsoft’s innovation journey to identify, detect, protect, and respond to emerging threats against identity and access

This month’s cover story highlights a cybersecurity program protecting billions of users.

Welcome to the latest issue of Interface magazine!

Interface showcases leaders at the forefront of innovation with digital technologies transforming myriad industries.

Read the latest issue here!

Microsoft: Innovation in Cybersecurity

Shinesa Cambric is on a mission to drive innovation for cybersecurity at Microsoft. Moreover, by embracing diversity and opening all channels towards collaboration her team tackles anti-abuse and delivers fraud-defence. Continuous Improvement doesn’t just play into her role, it defines it…

“In the fraud and abuse space, attackers are constantly trying to identify ways to look like a legitimate user,” warns Shinesa. “And this means my team, and our partners, have to continuously adapt. We identify new patterns and behaviours to detect fraudsters. At the same time, we must do it in such a way we don’t impact our truly ‘good’ and legitimate users. Microsoft is a global consumer business and any time you add friction or an unpleasant experience for a consumer, you risk losing them, their business and potentially their trust. My team’s work sits on the very edge of the account sign up and sign in process. We are essentially the first touch within the customer funnel for Microsoft – a multi-billion dollar company.”

ABB: Digital Technolgies contributing towards Net Zero

Nigel Greatorex, Global Industry Manager for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) at ABB Energy Industries, explains how digital technologies can play a critical role in the transition to a low carbon world. He highlights the role of CCS in enabling global emissions reductions and how challenges can be overcome through digitalisation…

“It is widely recognised decarbonisation is essential to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Therefore, it’s not surprising that emerging decarbonisation technology is becoming an increasingly important, and rapidly growing market.”

CSI: How can your IT estate improve its sustainability?

Andy Dunn, Chief Revenue Officer at IT solutions specialist CSI, reveals how digital technologies can contribute to ESG obligations: “Sustainability is a now seen as a strategic business imperative, so much so that 74% of companies consider Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors to be very important to the value of their company. Additionally, we know almost three in four organisations have set a net zero goal. With an average target date of 2044, 50% of organisations are seeking more energy efficient products and services.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsDaZiSO1ho

“Optimising energy use and consolidating servers and storage infrastructure form a strong basis for shaping a more environmentally friendly and efficient IT estate. It no longer needs to be the Achilles Heel of an ESG policy. “

Mia Platform: Sustainable Cloud Computing

Davide Bianchi, Senior Technical Lead at Mia Platform, explores the silver lining of sustainable cloud computing. He reveals how it can help us reduce our digital carbon thumbprint with collaboration, efficient use of applications, containerisation of apps, microservices and green partnerships.

“We’re already on an important technological path toward ubiquitous cloud computing. Correspondingly, this brings incredible long-term benefits too. These include greater scalability, improved data storage, and quicker application deployment, to name a few.”

Also in this issue, we hear from Doug Laney, Innovation Fellow at West Monroe and author of Infonomics and Data Juice. Also, we learn how companies can measure, manage and monetise to realise the potential of their data. And, Deputy CIO Melvin Brown discusses the people-centric approach to IT supporting America’s civil service at The Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Enjoy the issue!

Dan Brightmore, Editor

  • Infrastructure & Cloud

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

11 September 2023

Estimated Read time

5Mins

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Doug Laney is Innovation Fellow at West Monroe and a leading Data & Analytics strategist. We caught up with the author of Infonomics and Data Juice to talk tech and how companies can measure, manage and monetise to realise the potential of their data

Our cover story explores the rise of data and information as an asset.

Welcome to the latest issue of Interface magazine!

Interface showcases leaders aiming to take advantage of data, particularly in a new world of AI technologies where it is the fuel…

Read the latest issue here!

How to monetise, manage and measure data as an asset

Our cover star is pretty big in the world of analytics… We meet the guy who defined Big Data. Doug Laney is Innovation Fellow at West Monroe and a leading Data & Analytics strategist. We caught up with the author of Infonomics and Data Juice to talk tech and learn how companies can measure, manage and monetise to realise the potential of their information. In his first book Laney advised companies to stop being fixated on hindsight-oriented analytics. “It doesn’t actually move the needle on the business. In the stories I’ve compiled over the last decade, 98% have more to do with organisations using data to diagnose, predict, prescribe or automate something. It’s not about asking questions about what happened in the past.”

Canvas Worldwide: A data-driven media business

Continuing this month’s data theme, we also spoke with Alisa Ben, SVP, Head of Analytics at full-service media agency Canvas Worldwide. Data has transformed the organisation, and what its clients do. “We look holistically at the client’s business and sometimes the tools we have might be right for them, sometimes not. It’s more about helping our clients achieve their business outcomes.”

TUI Musement: from digital transformation to digital pioneer

At travel giant TUI, handling data effectively is paramount when communicating consistently and meaningfully with up to 25 million customers annually. David Garcia, CIO for TUI Musement, talks about the tech evolution driving the travel giant’s provision of experiences, transfers and tours. It’s a big part of its operational shift from local to global. “As a CIO, I’ve always been interested in how the tech innovations we drive can support the business and add value.”

Hiscox: making cybersecurity more accessible

Liz Banbury, CISO at Hiscox and president of (ISC)² London Chapter, talks to us about how cybersecurity can become a more accessible, realistic career path for almost anybody. “When I was at school, topics like computer science didn’t even exist,” Banbury explains. “In one of my first jobs, over in Hong Kong, we were still using a typewriter! A lot has changed. My key point here is that there’s a lot of cybersecurity professionals who are really good at their job. They are inspiring, and have come from all walks of life. Crucially, they don’t have a maths, computer science, or technological background at all. But they still make great cybersecurity professionals.

Portland Community College: Risk vs Speed in Cybersecurity

Reet Kaur, former Chief Information Security Officer at Portland Community College, discusses the organisation’s transition to the cloud amid a digital transformation journey. “I don’t want to work with people who just say yes all the time. I want my ideas challenged to help forge the excellence in the security programmes I help build.”

DBHDS: Cybersecurity in healthcare

The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) exists to create ‘a life of possibilities for all Virginians’ and transform behavioural health. Its focus is on supporting people across the entire commonwealth. It helps them get the support they need in order to take wellness and recovery into their own hands. In an area like healthcare, sensitive information is all over the place, meaning cybersecurity is a priority – and this is where Glendon Schmitz, CISO at DBHDS, comes in. “The security team exists to help the wider organisation achieve its objectives with data. We’re there to protect the business, not the other way around.”

Also in this issue, we schedule the can’t miss tech events and get the lowdown on IoT security from the Mobile Ecosystem Forum.

Enjoy the issue!

Dan Brightmore, Editor

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

22 June 2023

Estimated Read time

5Mins

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Amit Thawani, CIO for Consumer Data & Engagement Platforms at Wells Fargo, on the journey towards becoming a customer-centric company

This month’s cover story reveals how a customer-centric approach to technology is helping Wells Fargo deliver stable, secure, scalable, and innovative services.

Welcome to the latest issue of Interface magazine!

It’s our biggest issue yet! The common theme this month is the focus on the creation of customer-centric technologies that offer reliable, secure and helpful user journeys from travel and banking to health and business.

Interface dives deep for insights on understanding, planning, implementing and communicating change across industries.

Read the latest issue here!

Customer-centric banking with Wells Fargo

Amit Thawani, Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Consumer Data & Engagement Platforms (CDEP) on the technology journey at Wells Fargo: “All tech employees at Wells Fargo are tasked with working towards delivering stable, secure, scalable, and innovative services at speed that delight and satisfy our customers while unleashing the skills potential of our employees.”

TUI: Developing a technology ecosystem

Kristof Caekebeke, CIO for Product & Engagement, is a member of the leadership team that is driving the transformation of the TUI technical ecosystem which has seen Master Domain Owners taking different blocks of the ecosystem under their control to roll out across the organisation.

TUI Group

Responsible for product and engagement, Caekebeke’s focus is on building products out of the thousands of hotels, flights, experiences and cruises TUI is offering. “I’m responsible for every contact point between the customer and TUI. The websites, the mobile apps, the retail systems – any contact point we have between the customer and TUI. It’s a large team of 1,100 tech people.

A digital bank transformation journey with Banco PAN

“Until 2018 Banco PAN was very much an analogue company reliant on legacy paper processes,” recalls Leandro Marçal. Joining the bank in December 2020, to become Technology & Operations Director (CIO/COO), Marçal was tasked with accelerating a digital transformation journey.

“Banco PAN invested in innovation before I arrived,” says Marçal. “It is my team’s job to formalise the path towards becoming a digital bank. Our legacy operation was digitalising. It was an opportunity to improve the customer experience with our checking account and credit card systems.”

Pohlad Companies: The power of people

A pillar of the community in Minneapolis, Pohlad Companies is well known to Minnesotans for its influence, its charity work, and the opportunities it has created for people since the 1950s.

Alongside significant commercial real estate investments, Pohlad Companies owns a custom engineering and robotics company, a group of automotive dealerships specialising in luxury vehicles, a film production studio, and many more businesses. Famously, the Pohlad family also owns the Minnesota Twins, a Major League Baseball team.

This variety is part of what makes Rachel Lockett’s job so exciting. She’s Pohlad Companies’ CIO and has spent a decade in her current role. Lockett began her career as a programmer over 25 years ago and quickly moved into IT leadership management.

Coalfire: Embracing change in cybersecurity

If you wait for something to happen, then it’s often too late. The art of having a finger on the pulse is an essential ingredient to success. Failure to manage change and implement cybersecurity protocols could mean leaving an organisation vulnerable to hackers. 

Sreeveni Kancharla, Coalfire’s first Chief Information Officer, is leading the company’s digital transformation with unwavering determination. As a cybersecurity advisor, Coalfire assists private and public sector organisations in managing threats, closing gaps, and mitigating risks. Kancharla ensures that her team stays up-to-date with the latest technologies to guard against zero-day attacks.

Uni of Kansas Health: Cybersecurity at the heart

Speed versus safety. The two topics are intrinsically linked and vital in their own individual way. But can you have both in healthcare when the risks are so great? Ultimately, there is no higher stake than saving people’s lives – it goes above everything and is why cybersecurity is so vital.

Protecting the healthcare system

“There’s nothing more important to me than patient care,” affirms Michael Meis, Associate Chief Information Security Officer at The University of Kansas Health System. “It is one of the highest callings you can imagine, to be able to help people. While the cybersecurity team and me, individually, do not directly care for patients, we enable a lot of that patient care to continue and to be able to achieve some of the goals that the health system has set to provide that healing, research, and innovation within the healthcare space.”

Also in this issue, we ask ChatGPT what the future holds for AI and learn from Zoom how businesses can leverage analytics for insights from their hybrid events.

Enjoy the issue!

Dan Brightmore, Editor

Author

Sean Galea-Pace

Published

24 January 2023

Estimated Read time

22Mins

Expert analysis of the tech trends set to make waves this year

Digital transformation is a continuing journey of change with no set final destination. This makes predicting tomorrow a challenge when no one has a crystal ball to hand.

After a difficult few years for most businesses following a disruptive pandemic and now battling a cost-of-living crisis, many enterprises are increasingly leveraging new types of technology to gain an edge in a disruptive world. 

With this in mind, here are what experts predict for the next 12 months…

1. Process Mining

Sam Attias, Director of Product Marketing at Celonis

Sam Attias, Director of Product Marketing at Celonis, expects to see a rise in the adoption of process mining as it evolves to incorporate automation capabilities. He says process mining has traditionally been “a data science done in isolation” which helps companies identify hidden inefficiencies by extracting data and visually representing it.

“It is now evolving to become more prescriptive than descriptive and will empower businesses to simulate new methods and processes in order to estimate success and error rates, as well as recommend actions before issues actually occur,” says Attias. “It will fix inefficiencies in real-time through automation and execution management.”

2. The evolution of social robots

Gabriel Aguiar Noury, Robotics Product Manager at Canonical

Gabriel Aguiar Noury, Robotics Product Manager at Canonical, anticipates social robots to return this year. After companies such as Sony introduced robots like Poiq, Aguiar Noury believes it “sets the stage” for a new wave of social robots. 

“Powered by natural language generation models like GPT-3, robots can create new dialogue systems,” he says. “This will improve the robot’s interactivity with humans, allowing robots to answer any question. 

3d rendering cute artificial intelligence robot with empty note

“Social robots will also build narratives and rich personalities, making interaction with users more meaningful. GPT-3 also powers Dall-E, an image generator. Combined, these types of technologies will enable robots not only to tell but show dynamic stories.”

3. The rebirth of new data-powered business applications

In today’s fast-moving world, technology doesn’t sleep. Through the help of experts, we’ve compiled a need-to-know list of 23 predictions for 2023

Christian Kleinerman, Senior Vice President of Product at Snowflake, says there is the beginning of a “renaissance” in software development. He believes developers will bring their applications to central combined sources of data instead of the “traditional approach” of copying data into applications. 

“Every single application category, whether it’s horizontal or specific to an industry vertical, will be reinvented by the emergence of new data-powered applications,” affirms Kleinerman. “This rise of data-powered applications will represent massive opportunities for all different types of developers, whether they’re working on a brand-new idea for an application and a business based on that app, or they’re looking for how to expand their existing software operations.”

4. Application development will become a two-way conversation

Adrien Treuille, Head of Streamlit at Snowflake

Adrien Treuille, Head of Streamlit at Snowflake, believes application development will become a two-way conversation between producers and consumers. It is his belief that the advent of easy-to-use low-code or no-code platforms are already “simplifying the building” and sharing of interactive applications for tech-savvy and business users. 

“Based on that foundation, the next emerging shift will be a blurring of the lines between two previously distinct roles — the application producer and the consumer of that software.”

He adds that application development will become a collaborative workflow where consumers can weigh in on the work producers are doing in real-time. “Taking this one step further, we’re heading towards a future where app development platforms have mechanisms to gather app requirements from consumers before the producer has even started creating that software.”

5. The Metaverse

Paul Hardy, EMEA Innovation Officer at ServiceNow

Paul Hardy, EMEA Innovation Officer at ServiceNow, says he expects business leaders to adopt technologies such as the metaverse in 2023. The aim of this is to help cultivate and maintain employee engagement as businesses continue working in hybrid environments, in an increasingly challenging macro environment.

“Given the current economic climate, adoption of the metaverse may be slow, but in the future, a network of 3D virtual worlds will be used to foster meaningful social connections, creating new experiences for employees and reinforcing positive culture within organisations,” he says. “Hybrid work has made employee engagement more challenging, as it can be difficult to communicate when employees are not together in the same room. 

“Leaders have begun to see the benefit of hosting traditional training and development sessions using VR and AI-enhanced coaching. In the next few years, we will see more workplaces go a step beyond this, for example, offering employees the chance to earn recognition in the form of tokens they can spend in the real or virtual world, gamifying the experience.”

6. The year of ESG?

Cathy Mauzaize, Vice President, EMEA South, at ServiceNow

Cathy Mauzaize, Vice President, EMEA South, at ServiceNow, believes 2023 could be the year that environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) is vital to every company’s strategy.

“Failure to engage appropriate investment in ESG strategies could plunge any organisation into a crisis,” she says. “Legislation must be respected and so must the expectations of employees, investors and your ecosystem of partners and customers.

“ESG is not just a tick box, one and done, it’s a new way of business that will see us through 2023 and beyond.”

7. Macro Trends and Redeploying Budgets for Efficiency

Ulrik Nehammer, President, EMEA at ServiceNow, says organisations are facing an incredibly complex and volatile macro environment. Nehammer explains as the world is gripped by soaring inflation, intelligent digital investments can be a huge deflationary force.

“Business leaders are already shifting investment focus to technologies that will deliver outcomes faster,” he says. “Going into 2023, technology will become increasingly central to business success – in fact, 95% of CEOs are already pursuing a digital-first strategy according to IDC’s CEO survey, as digital companies deliver revenue growth far faster than non-digital ones.”  

8. Organisations will have adopted a NaaS strategy

David Hughes, Aruba’s Chief Product and Technology Officer

David Hughes, Aruba’s Chief Product and Technology Officer, believes that by the end of 2023, 20% of organisations will have adopted a network-as-a-service (NaaS) strategy.

“With tightening economic conditions, IT requires flexibility in how network infrastructure is acquired, deployed, and operated to enable network teams to deliver business outcomes rather than just managing devices,” he says. “Migration to a NaaS framework enables IT to accelerate network modernisation yet stay within budget, IT resource, and schedule constraints. 

“In addition, adopting a NaaS strategy will help organisations meet sustainability objectives since leading NaaS suppliers have adopted carbon-neutral and recycling manufacturing strategies.”

9. Think like a seasonal business

According to Patrick Bossman, Product Manager at MariaDB corporation, he anticipates 2023 to be the year that the ability to “scale out on command” is going to be at the fore of companies’ thoughts.

“Organisations will need the infrastructure in place to grow on command and scale back once demand lowers,” he says. “The winners in 2023 will be those who understand that all business is seasonal, and all companies need to be ready for fluctuating demand.”

10. Digital platforms need to adapt to avoid falling victim to subscription fatigue

Demed L’Her, Chief Technology Officer at DigitalRoute

Demed L’Her, Chief Technology Officer at DigitalRoute, suggests what the subscription market is going to look like in 2023 and how businesses can avoid falling victim to ‘subscription fatigue’.  L’Her says there has been a significant drop in demand since the pandemic.

“Insider’s latest research shows that as of August, nearly a third (30%) of people reported cancelling an online subscription service in the past six months,” he reveals. “This is largely due to the rising cost of living experienced globally that is leaving households with reduced budgets for luxuries like digital subscriptions. Despite this, the subscription market is far from dead, with most people retaining some despite tightened budgets. 

“However, considering the ongoing economic challenges, businesses need to consider adapting if they are to be retained by customers in the long term. The key to this is ensuring that the product adds value to the life of the customer.”

11. Waking up to browser security 

Jonathan Lee, Senior Product Manager at Menlo Security

Jonathan Lee, Senior Product Manager at Menlo Security, points to the web browser being the biggest attack surface and suggests the industry is “waking up” to the fact of where people spend the most time.

“Vendors are now looking at ways to add security controls directly inside the browser,” explains Lee. “Traditionally, this was done either as a separate endpoint agent or at the network edge, using a firewall or secure web gateway. The big players, Google and Microsoft, are also in on the act, providing built-in controls inside Chrome and Edge to secure at a browser level rather than the network edge. 

“But browser attacks are increasing, with attackers exploiting new and old vulnerabilities, and developing new attack methods like HTML Smuggling. Remote browser isolation is becoming one of the key principles of Zero Trust security where no device or user – not even the browser – can be trusted.”

12. The year of quantum-readiness

Tim Callan, Chief Experience Officer at Sectigo

Tim Callan, Chief Experience Officer at Sectigo, predicts that 2023 will be the year of quantum-readiness. He believes that as a result of the standardisation of new quantum-safe algorithms expected to be in place by 2024, this year will be a year of action for government bodies, technology vendors, and enterprise IT leaders to prepare for the deployment.

“In 2022, the US National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) selected a set of post-quantum algorithms for the industry to standardise on as we move toward our quantum-safe future,” says Callan.

“In 2023, standards bodies like the IETF and many others must work to incorporate these algorithms into their own guidelines to enable secure functional interoperability across broad sets of software, hardware, and digital services. Providers of these hardware, software, and service products must follow the relevant guidelines as they are developed and begin preparing their technology, manufacturing, delivery, and service models to accommodate updated standards and the new algorithms.” 

13. AI: fewer keywords, greater understanding

AI expert Dr Pieter Buteneers, Director of AI and Machine Learning at Sinch

AI expert Dr Pieter Buteneers, Director of AI and Machine Learning at Sinch, expects artificial intelligence to continue to transition away from keywords and move towards an increased level of understanding.

“Language-agnostic AI, already existent within certain AI and chatbot platforms, will understand hundreds of languages — and even interchange them within a single search or conversation — because it’s not learning language like you or I would,” he says. “This advanced AI instead focuses on meaning, and attaches code to words accordingly, so language is more of a finishing touch than the crux of a conversation or search query. 

“Language-agnostic AI will power stronger search results — both from external (the internet) and internal (a company database) sources — and less robotic chatbot conversations, enabling companies to lean on automation to reduce resources and strain on staff and truly trust their AI.”

14. Rise in digital twin technology in the enterprise

John Hill, CEO and Founder of Silico

John Hill, CEO and Founder of Silico, recognises the growing influence digital twin technology is having in the market. Hill predicts that in the next 20 years, there will be a digital twin of every complex enterprise in the world and anticipates the next generation of decision-makers will routinely use forward-looking simulations and scenario analytics to plan and optimise their business outcomes.

“Digital twin technology is one of the fastest-growing facets of industry 4.0 and while we’re still at the dawn of digital twin technology,” he explains. “Digital twins will have huge implications for unlocking our ability to plan and manage the complex organisations so crucial for our continued economic progress and underpin the next generation of Intelligent Enterprise Automation.”

15. Broader tech security

Tricentis CEO, Kevin Thompson

With an exponential amount of data at companies’ fingertips, Tricentis CEO, Kevin Thompson says the need for investment in secure solutions is paramount.

“The general public has become more aware of the access companies have to their personal data, leading to the impending end of third-party cookies, and other similar restrictions on data sharing,” he explains. “However, security issues still persist. The persisting influx of new data across channels and servers introduces greater risk of infiltration by bad actors, especially for enterprise software organisations that have applications in need of consistent testing and updates. The potential for damage increases as iterations are being made with the expanding attack surface. 

“Now, the reality is a matter of when, not if, your organisation will be the target of an attack. To combat this rising security concern, organisations will need to integrate security within the development process from the very beginning. Integrating security and compliance testing at the upfront will greatly reduce risk and prevent disruptions.”

16. Increased cyber resilience 

Michael Adams, CISO at Zoom

Michael Adams, CISO at Zoom, expects an increased focus on cyber resilience over the next 12 months. “While protecting organisations against cyber threats will always be a core focus area for security programs, we can expect an increased focus on cyber resilience, which expands beyond protection to include recovery and continuity in the event of a cyber incident,” explains Adams.

“It’s not only investing resources in protecting against cyber threats; it’s investing in the people, processes, and technology to mitigate impact and continue operations in the event of a cyber incident.” 

17. Ransomware threats

Michal Salat, Threat Intelligence Director at Avast

As data leaks become increasingly common place in the industry, companies face a very real threat of ransomware. Michal Salat, Threat Intelligence Director at Avast, believes the time is now for businesses to protect themselves or face recovery fees costing millions of dollars.

“Ransomware attacks themselves are already an individual’s and businesses’ nightmare. This year, we saw cybergangs threatening to publicly publish their targets’ data if a ransom isn’t paid, and we expect this trend to only grow in 2023,” says Salat. “This puts people’s personal memories at risk and poses a double risk for businesses. Both the loss of sensitive files, plus a data breach, can have severe consequences for their business and reputation.”

18. Intensified supply chain attacks 

Dirk Schrader, VP of security research at Netwrix

Dirk Schrader, VP of security research at Netwrix, believes supply chain attacks are set to increase in the coming year. “Modern organisations rely on complex supply chains, including small and medium businesses (SMBs) and managed service providers (MSPs),” he says.

“Adversaries will increasingly target these suppliers rather than the larger enterprises knowing that they provide a path into multiple partners and customers. To address this threat, organisations of all sizes, while conducting a risk assessment, need to take into account the vulnerabilities of all third-party software or firmware.”

19. A greater need to manage volatility 

Paul Milloy, Business Consultant at Intradiem, stresses the importance of managing volatility in an ever-moving market. Milloy believes bosses can utilise data through automation to foresee potential problems before they become issues.

“No one likes surprises. Whilst Ben Franklin suggested nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes, businesses will want to automate as many of their processes as possible to help manage volatility in 2023,” he explains. “Data breeds intelligence, and intelligence breeds insight. Managers can use the data available from workforce automation tools to help them manage peaks and troughs better to avoid unexpected resource bottlenecks.”

20. A human AI co-pilot will still be needed

Artem Kroupenev, VP of Strategy at Augury, predicts that within the next few years, every profession will be enhanced with hybrid intelligence, and have an AI co-pilot which will operate alongside human workers to deliver more accurate and nuanced work at a much faster pace. 

“These co-pilots are already being deployed with clear use cases in mind to support specific roles and operational needs, like AI-driven solutions that enable reliability engineers to ensure production uptime, safety and sustainability through predictive maintenance,” he says. “However, in 2023, we will see these co-pilots become more accurate, more trusted and more ingrained across the enterprise. 

“Executives will better understand the value of AI co-pilots to make critical business decisions, and as a key competitive differentiator, and will drive faster implementation across their operations. The AI co-pilot technology will be more widespread next year, and trust and acceptance will increase as people see the benefits unfold.”

21. Building the right workplace culture

Harnessing a positive workplace culture is no easy task but in 2023 with remote and hybrid working now the norm, it brings with it new challenges. Tony McCandless, Chief Technology Officer at SS&C Blue Prism, is well aware of the role organisational culture can play in any digital transformation journey.

“Workers are the heart of an organisation, so without their buy in, no digital transformation initiative stands a chance of success,” explains McCandless. “Workers drive home business objectives, and when it comes to digital transformation, they are the ones using, implementing, and sometimes building automations. Curiosity, innovation, and the willingness to take risks are essential ingredients to transformative digitalisation. 

“Businesses are increasingly recognising that their workers play an instrumental role in determining whether digitalisation initiatives are successful. Fostering the right work environment will be a key focus point for the year ahead – not only to cultivate buy-in but also to improve talent retention and acquisition, as labor supply issues are predicted to continue into 2023 and beyond.”

22. Cloud cover to soften recession concerns

Amid a cost-of-living crisis and concerns over any potential recession as a result, Daniel Thomasson, VP of Engineering and R&D at Keysight Technologies, says more companies will shift data intensive tasks to the cloud to reduce infrastructure and operational costs.

“Moving applications to the cloud will also help organisations deliver greater data-driven customer experiences,” he affirms. “For example, advanced simulation and test data management capabilities such as real-time feature extraction and encryption will enable use of a secure cloud-based data mesh that will accelerate and deepen customer insights through new algorithms operating on a richer data set. In the year ahead, expect the cloud to be a surprising boom for companies as they navigate economic uncertainty.”

23. IoT devices to scale globally

Dr Raullen Chai, CEO and Co-Founder of IoTeX, recognises a growing trend in the usage of IoT devices worldwide and believes connectivity will increase significantly. 

“For decades, Big Tech has monopolised user data, but with the advent of Web3, we will see more and more businesses and smart device makers beginning to integrate blockchain for device connectivity as it enables people to also monetise their data in many different ways, including in marketing data pools, medical research pools and more,” he explains. “We will see a growth in decentralised applications that allow users to earn a modest additional revenue from everyday activities, such as walking, sleeping, riding a bike or taking the bus instead of driving, or driving safely in exchange for rewards. 

“Living healthy lifestyles will also become more popular via decentralised applications for smart devices, especially smart watches and other health wearables.”

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

Estimated Read time

3Mins

Todd Salmon, Executive Advisor for Strategic Services at GuidePoint Security, on the cybersecurity challenge of keeping up with the pace of the ever-changing digital world

This month’s cover story explores how GuidePoint Security, an elite team of highly trained and certified experts, cut through cybersecurity chaos and confusion to put control back in customers’ hands.

Welcome to the latest issue of Interface magazine!

Interface welcomes in 2023 with a need-to-know list of what we can expect from technology this year and how it can allow enterprises to gain a competitive edge in a disruptive and increasingly digital world. Faced with everything from process mining and AI to quantum-readiness and the metaverse we cut through the hype to bring you the facts.

Read the latest issue here!

GuidePoint Security: digital transformation in cybersecurity

“Cybersecurity is in such a reactive mode because of the sheer volume of risks and vulnerabilities an organisation faces,” says Todd Salmon, Executive Advisor for Strategic Services at GuidePoint Security. “We see a lot of copycats and repeat attacks happen, but at the end of the day it’s all about creating solutions to help combat those problems.”

GuidePoint’s elite team of highly trained and certified experts, cut through cybersecurity chaos and confusion to put control back in customers’ hands. Helping them make the smartest, most informed cyber risk decisions, and choose and integrate the best-fit solutions to build the most effective cybersecurity program, Salmon discusses the challenge of keeping up with the pace of the ever-changing digital world.

bp: a strategic reinvention

“We are investing in digital to drive process efficiency and improve insights; but also to develop our people with the skills we need for now, and the future at bp. This means we are playing to win while caring for our people through investing in their personal development,” says Head of Strategic Transformation Nick Hales.

“After setting the right foundations through various remediation and compliance initiatives, we embarked on our digital transformation journey,” adds Strategy & Transformation Manager Emmanouela Vlachantoni. “There was a clear opportunity to standardise and streamline our controls environment to reduce complexity and increase insight.”

Fairfax County: winning the IT war with cybersecurity

Meanwhile, across the pond, we learn how Fairfax County in the State of Virginia is reaping the rewards of a cybersecurity program enabling government services and keeping citizens safe. “My role is to educate our leadership to ensure they understand the business value of cybersecurity as it relates to government services. Being accountable for the security of their systems and data is a key factor in developing a successful cyber program,” explains CISO Michael Dent.

Also in this issue, we round up the key tech events and conferences across the globe and, with the help of the experts at Fasthosts, take a deep dive into the metaverse… Can virtual reality become our reality? Read on to find out.

Enjoy the issue!

Dan Brightmore, Editor

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

13 December 2022

Estimated Read time

2Mins

Nick Hales, Head of Strategic Transformation and Emmanouela Vlachantoni, Strategy & Transformation Senior Manager, on the journey to reinvent business processes that are reimagining bp

This month’s cover story reveals how bp’s Strategic Transformation leaders are on a journey to reinvent business processes that are reimagining the energy giant.

Welcome to the latest issue of Interface magazine!

Our final issue of Interface for 2022 covers some of this year’s hot tech topics: digital transformation, cybersecurity, data & analytics, customer-centricity and more…

Read the latest issue here!

bp: a strategic reinvention

“We are investing in digital to drive process efficiency and improve insights; but also to develop our people with the skills we need for now, and the future. This means we are playing to win while caring for our people through investing in their personal development,” says Nick Hales.

“After setting the right foundations through various remediation and compliance initiatives, we embarked on our digital transformation journey,” adds Emmanouela Vlachantoni. “There was a clear opportunity to standardise and streamline our controls environment to reduce complexity and increase insight.”

Fairfax County: winning the IT war with cybersecurity

Meanwhile, across the pond, we learn how Fairfax County in the State of Virginia is reaping the rewards of a cybersecurity program enabling government services and keeping citizens safe. “My role is to educate our leadership to ensure they understand the business value of cybersecurity as it relates to government services. Being accountable for the security of their systems and data is a key factor in developing a successful cyber program,” explains CISO Michael Dent.

Piedmont Healthcare: data & analytics at the heart of growth

The power of data cannot be under-estimated… At Piedmont Healthcare Mark Jackson, Executive Director of Business Intelligence is building a data strategy driving speed to insight at scale. “Tool selection has played an important role in our ability to scale the BI program and deliver rapid insights in a dynamic environment.”

Also in this issue, CalArts CTO Allan Chen explains how an IT strategy based on coordination and collaboration is supporting six schools; Information Tech VP Fausto Sosa de la Fuente reveals the people-centric transformative IT process at construction industry giant CEMEX; and we take a look at the latest insights from McKinsey highlighting the lessons CEOs can learn from successful digital transformations.

Enjoy the issue!

Dan Brightmore, Editor

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

2 November 2022

Estimated Read time

4Mins

Read in brochure format

John MClure, CISO at Sinclair Group – a diversified media company and America’s leading provider of local sports and news – talks about the evolution of cybersecurity and the cultural shift placing it at the forefront of business change

This month’s cover story explores how Sinclair Broadcast Group is embracing the evolution of cybersecurity and placing the role of the CISO at the forefront of business transformation.

Welcome to the latest issue of Interface magazine!

Communication, secure and at speed, is a vital component of the transformation journey for both the modern enterprise and its relationship with stakeholders, be they customers or partners. Putting the right building blocks in place to deliver successful change management is at the heart of the inspiring stories in the latest issue of Interface.

Read the latest issue here!

Sinclair Broadcast Group: a cyber transformation

Our cover star John McClure progressed from a career in the military and work as a consultant in the intelligence industry to fight a new kind of foe… As CISO for Sinclair Broadcast Group, a diversified media company and America’s leading provider of local sports and news, he talks about the evolution of cybersecurity, the battle to meet the rising velocity and sophistication of cyber-attacks and the cultural shift of the role of CISO placing it at the forefront of business change.

“Sinclair is unique in terms of its different business units and how it operates. It’s my job as CISO leading our cyber team not to be an obstacle for the business; we’re here to help it move faster to keep up with market forces, and to move safely. We’re here to engineer solutions that work for the enterprise but also help us maintain a positive security posture.”

State of Florida: digital government services

We also hear from CIO Jamie Grant who is leading the State of Florida’s Digital Service (FL[DS]) on its charge to transform and modernise the way government is accessed and consumed. He is building a team of talented, goal-oriented and customer-obsessed individuals to drive a digital transformation with innovation at its heart. “Leadership is really about developing the team and investing in the people. And it turns out that when you get their backs, they appreciate it and then you can achieve anything.”

ResultsCX: putting people first

Jamie Vernon, SVP for IT & Infrastructure at AI-powered customer experience solution specialist ResultsCX, discusses what drives customer care in the 21st century, and the part technology has to play.

“We are the custodians of our customers’ customers,” says Vernon. “In this increasingly tenuous relationship with their customers, they trust us. My leadership takes that responsibility very seriously, and charges each of us with doing everything we can to provide a perfect call, or email, or chat, every time, thousands of times a minute, around the clock and around the calendar.”

Jamie Vernon, SVP for IT & Infrastructure at AI-powered customer experience solution specialist ResultsCX, discusses what drives customer care in the 21st century, and the part technology has to play.

“We are the custodians of our customers’ customers,” says Vernon. “In this increasingly tenuous relationship with their customers, they trust us. My leadership takes that responsibility very seriously, and charges each of us with doing everything we can to provide a perfect call, or email, or chat, every time, thousands of times a minute, around the clock and around the calendar.”

Also this month, Sarita Singh, Regional Head & Managing Director for Stripe in Southeast Asia, talks about how the fast-growing payments platform is driving financial inclusion across Asia and supporting SMEs with end-to-end services putting users first, and we get expert advice for the modern CEO from the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School.

Enjoy the issue!

Dan Brightmore, Editor

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

14 February 2022

Estimated Read time

2Mins

Read in brochure format

Our cover story investigates how the latest cybersecurity technologies ensure the Commonwealth Bank and its customers are protected from cybercrime

Our cover story this month charts how the Commonwealth Bank is strengthening its cybersecurity posture to protect 16 million customers

Welcome to the latest issue of Interface magazine!

Cybersecurity, and the need to share data safely and securely, goes beyond the day to day requirements of one organisation, it’s about enterprises at all levels collaborating to develop an ecosystem for the greater global good.

Read the latest issue here!

CommBank

Our cover star Memo Hayek, General Manager Group Cyber Transformation & Delivery at CommBank, is leading a team on such a journey while executing the technology transformation required to fortify cybersecurity for CommBank. Leveraging the latest cutting-edge technologies from partners including AWS and Palo Alto Networks – in demand as the global attack surface grows – Hayek is flying the flag for women in STEM careers and delivering the strategies to ensure the bank, its Australian community and the wider global economy are protected from cybercrime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQNXY2duLZs

Philip Morris International

Also in this issue, we learn how Philip Morris International (PMI) is instigating a digital revolution in the travel retail sector, merging the physical and online worlds by implementing a number of CX-driven initiatives framed around PMI’s IQOS brand which is helping smokers to non-smoke products.

Valtech

We hear again from global business transformation agency Valtech on its efforts to embrace diversity across the length and breadth of its organisation to make it better able to provide solutions that touch all of society. Una Verhoeven, VP Global Technology, gives her perspective on the diversity debate and how that’s further supported in the technological evolution with the rise of composable architecture.

Digital Transformation

Elsewhere, we discover how biotech firm Debiopharm’s digital transformation journey is ushering in a new era for drug development and clinical trials. We also reveal the innovative global IT transformation plans of market-leading tile manufacturer Terreal.

Enjoy the issue!

Dan Brightmore, Editor

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

25 November 2021

Estimated Read time

2Mins

Read in brochure format

Our exclusive cover story this month takes a drive down the information superhighway with Auto Club Group and the Automobile…

Our exclusive cover story this month takes a drive down the information superhighway with Auto Club Group and the Automobile Association of America.

Welcome to the latest issue of Interface magazine!

A customer centric approach to the creation and deployment of digital services is something that unites the business transformation journeys we explore in this issue of Interface.

Read the latest issue here!

Our cover story examines how one of the oldest organisations in the US – the Automobile Association of America (AAA) – and Auto Club Group, among its largest affiliates, are building trust in technology through cybersecurity to support more than 14 million members with a range of digital services. Chief Information Security Officer, Gopal Padinjaruveetil, explains: “Cybersecurity can be the brake in the information vehicle so a business doesn’t have to slow down, enabling it to accelerate change with confidence without putting the organisation, and its members, at risk.”

Elsewhere, we discover how insurance giant Generali is leveraging analytics and AI on a global scale for a structured approach to insurance services delivering long term security and peace of mind for its customers as a lifetime partner.

Delivering innovation on a global scale, SAP’s customer-centric business technology platform currently serves 91% of the organisations making up the Forbes Global 2000, while a staggering 70% of all global transactions touch an SAP system. We find out more…

Also in this issue, we hear from Insider on why Apple’s iOS15 update will impact ecommerce and data gathering; we get the lowdown from EY on the four key steps organisation should take to accelerate their digital transformation and learn from Pulsant how to identify and achieve your business transformation goals.

Enjoy the issue!

Dan Brightmore, Editor

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

9 September 2021

Estimated Read time

6Mins

Martin Riley, Bridewell Consulting’s Director of Managed Services, explains why a cyber security strategy can future proof your business and provide the platform for a successful digital transformation

Regardless of sector, digital transformation has become a business necessity for organisations in 2021. Described as the most important trend in business today, 65% of the globe’s GDP is expected to be digitalised by the end of 2022. And with promised benefits including improved operational efficiency, agility and employee productivity, it’s no surprise that businesses are going digital.

However, while there’s no denying the importance of digital transformation, different levels of organisational maturity can lead to different approaches and this is particularly apparent when it comes to security. Many organisations often take a reactive approach, whereby business and technology transformation are the priority and security is only considered afterwards. However, the risks from putting security on the backburner can be numerous, including higher costs and extended timelines to retrofit crucial security fixes.

Martin Riley
Martin Riley

More mature companies have a different approach – one that puts security transformation first, ahead of digital transformation, to ensure the best possible future-proofed outcome. Their success is now providing a valuable proven blueprint for other firms to follow. So, to reap the benefits of this approach where should you start?

Shift your mindset

Before embarking on any transformation, it’s imperative to get your strategy right. Move away from thinking purely about digital transformation and cyber security as separate strategies and instead develop a cyber security transformation strategy. This will ensure that you can reduce risk and improve your cyber resilience, even as your attack surface grows.

It may be that security transformation becomes the driver of your digital transformation. For example, if you have identified vulnerabilities within your legacy IT infrastructure that necessitates a need to move critical data to the cloud.

Take critical national infrastructure as an example… The convergence of IT and Operational Technology (OT) as well as increased legislative requirements, such as the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulation, is driving a clear need for cyber security transformation. Organisations need to adapt to gain a holistic view of cyber security across physical OT and cloud systems before transformation can take place.

Understand your risks

Digitalising your business ultimately introduces new risks. For example, new digital channels can broaden your attack service, while poorly configured cloud-based infrastructure can pose easy targets for cyber attackers. There’s also risks from the internet of Things (IoT) which increases sensitive data proliferation (and by association, vulnerabilities), as well as authentication and access risks posed by remote working and connected supply chains. Before embarking on a transformation plan, you need to understand the security implications of any changes.

Assume zero-trust

In order to ensure that security is front of mind in your transformation you need to adopt a philosophy of a zero trust, where no individual or device is trusted. This involves verification by authenticating and authorising based on all available data points, utilising just-in-time and just-enough-access to limit user access and using analytics to drive threat detection. Not only does this help businesses to be prepared for cyber threats, but also articulates the value of security transformation to other departments.

Embed security from the outset

It can be tempting to simply keep investing in a growing number of security technology tools as and when your transformation takes place. However, all too often there is little integration, overlap and there are gaps in the coverage these tools offer. And while a well-configured set of security tools can provide coverage, many drive threat alerts that are false positives or benign positives, leading to fatigue and alert blindness. Instead, ensuring security is a critical part of the initial design of your transformation strategy.

Use security intelligence to your advantage

Move away from a focus on prevention to response and make security intrinsic throughout the business by implementing proactive measures such as Managed Detection and Response (MDR). By combining human analysis, artificial intelligence and automation to rapidly detect, analyse, investigate and actively respond to threats, MDR can encourage alignment of security transformation with digital transformation.

Cyber Technology Security Protection Monitoring

An adaptive and customisable security model, MDR can be deployed rapidly and cost-effectively as a fully outsourced service or via a hybrid SOC. It helps develop a reference security architecture that enables you to safeguard on-premise and legacy systems, cloud-based infrastructure applications and SaaS solutions, whilst also protecting and responding to new security and user identity threats as well as reducing cyber risk and the dwell time of breaches.

Engage third party support

Finally, don’t neglect to seek help from outside your organisation. By engaging a security architect early on in your project lifecycle, you can benefit from robust and detailed analysis and expertise to ensure the correct decisions are made, tracked and traced from beginning to end. They can also help you understand the interdependencies across your IT estate, identify risks and suggest best practice, as well as legal and regulatory obligations to ensure you continue to be able to withstand a range of cyber attacks throughout your transformation.

Reaping the rewards of cyber security transformation

Every business is on a digital transformation journey, regardless of size or objectives. However, as organisations transform, so do technology and cyber threats. Those that fail to adopt a more proactive and efficient system for mitigating risks and handling, responding, detecting and learning from cyber security attacks will find themselves falling behind and the security function unable to keep up.

Ultimately, cyber and digital security should be thought of as inseparable – and those that can plan and integrate both into their transformation projects from the very beginning will be in the strongest position to succeed and future-proof their business.

By implementing a robust cyber security transformation process and proactive security measures, such as MDR that can support secure digital transformation, you can reap the benefits of a stronger, structured system for managing, isolating and reducing threats and continue to pivot, transition and serve in the new digital economy without leaving security on the side-lines.

Bridewell Consulting

Bridewell Consulting is a specialist cyber security and data privacy consultancy. NCSC Certified and CREST accredited, it provides reliable, high-quality security and risk consulting services; helping its customers protect not just their data, but their reputation, customer trust and bottom line. Providing four core service areas: cyber security, data privacy, penetration testing/red team assessments and managed security services, Bridewell’s expert team of professionals possess specialist industry experience and proven capabilities. They can deliver effective cyber security and data privacy services across financial services, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, technology, retail, media, government, aviation and 24×7 critical services. As a vendor agnostic business, Bridewell is able to effectively and honestly engage with business executives and provide advice, guidance and services in a way that is most appropriate for each organisation, ensuring that proposed solutions are aligned with its clients’ strategy, business objectives and the wider IT architecture.

Learn more about emerging trends across the tech panorama in the latest issue of Interface

Author

Kevin Davies

Published

9 June 2021

Estimated Read time

4Mins

Three in four senior corporate executives believe increasing financial investment is necessary to protect intangible trade secrets, according to new analysis commissioned by global law firm CMS and conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit…

A new report released today commissioned by global law firm CMS and conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit reveals that trade secret protection is rapidly rising up the corporate agenda as firms widely recognise the commercial imperative to protect vulnerable assets in light of more business conducted online and across borders. 

With more companies relying on an ever-greater proportion of intangible or ‘secretive’ assets, the findings show a marked shift in how executives are planning to tackle employee leaks, supply chain vulnerability, corporate espionage and cyber-attacks. According to a global survey of 314 senior executives across a range of industries, the three most valuable types of proprietary information held by organisations are customer databases (42%), product technology (40%), and R&D information (23%).

The report, ‘Open secrets? Guarding value in the intangible economy’, reveals that trade secret protection is no longer just a concern for the legal department, but a top priority at the board and C-suite level. The majority (75%) of respondents agree that increasing financial investment was necessary to protect their trade secrets. Measures must be taken to raise awareness of these assets more widely among employees, with 28% of respondents viewing a lack of in-house experience with trade secrets as a safeguarding challenge.

The most significant threats to the security of trade secrets are weaknesses in cybersecurity (49%) and employee leaks (48%). As firms increasingly store and share sensitive information across virtual and distributed workforces, companies face a range of unpredictable insider threats, including intentional leaks from disgruntled employees. This is the biggest concern for the UK, whilst the fear of cybercrime is front-of-mind for business leaders in France, China and the US, worsened by poor internal cybersecurity expertise.

Tom Scourfield, Co-Head of IP Group at CMS said: “Fifty years ago, a company’s value was derived solely from its physical capital. Today, the world’s most successful firms are built on intangible assets that are often secretive by nature – algorithms, customer data, product formulae. This report shows that firms must start taking a more holistic approach to protecting these intangible assets, from computer software to company values balancing restrictions with incentives – and importantly engage every level of their workforce. Without this strategy, protecting trade secrets will remain an uphill battle for many.”

Significantly, four out of five of the top measures that companies are planning to implement over the next two years focus on minimising employee leaks. These range from harsher measures such as closer surveillance of employee’s electronic activity through to more collaborative approaches that centre on improving the company culture and introducing innovative staff incentives.

“Willingness to snoop” is highest in China, Singapore and the United States. It is also a top preferred measure for executives in Technology, Media and Telecommunications, with 36% of respondents planning to implement surveillance over the next two years, reflecting the growing tensions between employers and employees in the technology sector. Efforts to improve work culture are clearly felt more widely in other industries, with almost a third (31%) calling for corporate values to shift towards encouraging trade secret protection.

As companies become increasingly wary of cybercrime and ransomware attacks, the majority (82%) agree that leveraging cybersecurity software is key to protecting their organisation in the long-term. However, only half (53%) believe it is the most effective deterrent or have already restricted digital and physical access to confidential information (55%). 

Hannah Netherton, Employment Partner at CMS adds: “It’s overwhelmingly clear that the threat of employee leaks is driving a need for new strategies to guard valuable assets. Companies must find the right balance between perfecting their cybersecurity protections and creating a healthy company culture that incentivises trade secret protection and encourages speaking up through appropriate channels – even the most rigorous of protocols won’t prevent every employee leak or a disgruntled whistleblower. 

“The pandemic has opened doors to a digital workspace, where it’s easier for employees to accidentally or purposefully access and expose confidential information. It is impossible to protect trade secrets if employees are not aware of the sensitivities around these assets, so putting the right values and measures in place has never been more important to an organisation’s success.”

Aukje Haan, Co-Head of Commercial at CMS added: “With the introduction of the Directive on Trade Secrets, businesses will get a range of options to safeguard their most prized proprietary information. However, there are prerequisites to be able to invoke those options. Identifying and taking reasonable steps will be crucial, from NDAs, cybersecurity efforts through to employee regulation, as well as specific requirements depending on the nature of the business, e.g., online businesses will need to take more cybersecurity measures whereas manufacturing companies will need to take more physical measures on the factory floor.“

Author

Steph Charbonneau

Published

26 March 2021

Estimated Read time

5Mins

Governments around the world have highlighted supply chains as an area for urgent attention in tackling cyber risk in the coming years…

Business ecosystems have expanded over the years owing to the many benefits of diverse, interconnected supply chains, prompting organizations to pursue close, collaborative relationships with their suppliers. However, this has led to increased cyber threats when organizations expose their networks to their supply chain and it only takes one supplier to have cybersecurity vulnerabilities to bring a business to its knees. To this point governments around the world have highlighted supply chains as an area for urgent attention in tackling cyber risk in the coming years.

Looking beyond your own perimeter

Over the last few years, many organizations have worked hard to improve their cyber defenses and are increasingly “harder targets”.  However, for these well-defended organizations, now the greatest weaknesses in their defenses are their suppliers, who are typically less well-defended but with whom they are highly interconnected. 

At the same time, the cyber threat landscape has intensified, and events of the past year have meant that security professionals are not only having to manage security in a remote working set up and ensure employees have good accessibility, they are also having to handle a multitude of issues from a distance whilst defending a much broader attack surface.  As a result, points of vulnerability have become even more numerous, providing an attractive space for bad actors to disrupt and extort enterprises.  Threats have escalated, including phishing and new variants of known threats, such as ransomware and Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, as well as increases in supply chain attacks.

But where supply chains are concerned, it is nearly impossible to effectively manage this risk unless you know the state of your suppliers’ defences and continually ensure that they are comparable to your own.  Organizations must deeply understand the cyber risks associated with the relationship and try to mitigate those risks to the degree possible.

However, that’s easier said than done. With the sending and receiving of information essential for the supply chain to function, the only option is to better identify and manage the risks presented.  This requires organizations to overhaul existing risk monitoring programs, technology investments and also to prioritize cyber and data security governance.

Ensuring the basics are in place

At the very least organizations should ensure that both they and their suppliers have the basic controls in place such as Cyber Essentials, NIST and ISO 27001, coupled with good data management controls. They should thoroughly vet and continuously monitor supply chain partners. They need to understand what data partners will need access to and why, and ultimately what level of risk this poses. Likewise, they need to understand what controls suppliers have in place to safeguard data and protect against incoming and outgoing cyber threats. This needs to be monitored, logged, and regularly reviewed and a baseline of normal activities between the organization and the supplier should be established.

As well as effective processes, people play a key role in helping to minimize risk. Cybersecurity training should be given so that employees are aware of the dangers and know how to spot suspicious activity. They should be aware of data regulation requirements and understand what data can be shared with whom. And they should also know exactly what to do in the event of a breach, so a detailed incident response plan should be shared and regularly reviewed.

IT best practices should be applied to minimize these risks. IT used effectively can automatically protect sensitive data so that when employees inevitably make mistakes, technology is there to safeguard the organization.

Securely transferring information between suppliers

So how do organizations transfer information between suppliers securely and how do they ensure that only authorized suppliers receive sensitive data? Here data classification tools are critical to ensure that sensitive data is appropriately treated, stored, and disposed of during its lifetime in accordance with its importance to the organization. Through appropriate classification, using visual labelling and metadata application to emails and documents, this protects the organization from the risk of sensitive data being exposed to unauthorized organizations further down the line through the supply chain.

Likewise, data that isn’t properly encrypted in transit can be at risk of compromise, so using a secure and compliant mechanism for transferring data within the supply chain will significantly reduce risks. Managed File Transfer (MFT) software facilitates the automated sharing of data with suppliers. This secure channel provides a central platform for information exchanges and offers audit trails, user access controls, and other file transfer protections.

Layering security defenses

Organizations should also layer security defences to neutralize any threats coming from a supplier.  Due to its ubiquity, email is a particularly vulnerable channel and one that’s often exploited by cybercriminals posing as a trusted partner. Therefore, it is essential that organizations are adequately protected from incoming malware, embedded Advanced Persistent Threats, or any other threat that could pose a risk to the business.

And finally, organizations need to ensure that documents uploaded and downloaded from the web are thoroughly analyzed, even if they are coming from a trusted source. To do this effectively, they need a solution that can remove risks from email, web and endpoints, yet still allows the transfer of information to occur.

Adaptive DLP allows the flow of information to continue while removing threats, protecting critical data, and ensuring compliance. It doesn’t become a barrier to business or impose a heavy management burden. This is important because traditional DLP ‘stop and block’ approaches have often resulted in too many delays to legitimate business communications and high management overheads associated with false positives.

Cyber criminal attacks set to rise

Many of the recent well publicized attacks have been nation state orchestrated. Going forward this is going to turn into criminal syndicate attacks. Cybercriminals already have the ransomware capabilities and now all they need to do is tie this up with targeting the supply chain.  Therefore, making sure you have the right technologies, policies and training programs in place should be a top priority for organizations in 2021. If you are interested in finding out more about protecting your supply chain, why not download our eGuide: “Managing Cybersecurity Risk in the Supply Chain.”

Author

Kevin Davies

Published

19 February 2021

Estimated Read time

2Mins

With industrial organisations ramping connectivity to accelerate digital transformation and remote work, threat actors are weaponising the software supply chain and ransomware attacks are growing in number, sophistication and persistence.

A new report from Nozomi Networks Labs finds cyber threats to industrial and critical infrastructure have reached new heights as threat actors double down on high value targets. With industrial organisations ramping connectivity to accelerate digital transformation and remote work, threat actors are weaponising the software supply chain and ransomware attacks are growing in number, sophistication and persistence. 

“This report leaves no doubt that the time for action is now,” said Nozomi Networks Co-founder and CTO Moreno Carullo. “The recent Oldsmar, Florida, water system attack and the ongoing SolarWinds investigation are dramatic reminders that the critical infrastructure and other systems that we rely on are vulnerable and at constant risk of attack. Understanding the effectiveness of defenses against the emerging threat and vulnerability landscape is vital to success.” 

Nozomi Networks’ latest “OT/IoT Security Report,” gives cybersecurity professionals an overview of the OT and IoT threats analysed by Nozomi Networks Labs security research team. The report found: 

  • Ransomware activity continues to dominate the threat landscape, growing in sophistication and persistence. In addition to demanding financial payments, Ryuk, Netwalker, Egregor and other ransomware gangs are exfiltrating data and deeply compromising networks for future nefarious activities. 
  • Supply chain threats and vulnerabilities show no signs of slowing. The unprecedented SolarWinds attack not only infected thousands of organisations including U.S. Government agencies and critical infrastructure, but it also demonstrates the massive potential for attack via supply chain weaknesses. 
  • Threat actors are targeting healthcare. Nation states are using off-the-shelf red team tools to execute attacks and perform cyber espionage against facilities involved with COVID-19 research. Ransomware crews are targeting healthcare providers and hospitals, in some cases disrupting patient treatment. 
  • Analysis of 151 ICS- CERTs published in the last six months found memory corruption errors are the dominant vulnerability type for industrial devices.

“Urgency has never been higher. As industrial organisations race toward digital transformation, threat actors are taking advantage of greater OT connectivity to create attacks that aim to disrupt operations and threaten the safety, profitability and reputation of enterprises around the globe,” said Nozomi Networks CEO Edgard Capdevielle. “While threats may be on the rise, the technologies and practices to defeat them are available today. We encourage organisation to act quickly to implement the recommendations in this report.  It’s never been more important or more possible to take the necessary steps to detect and defend critical infrastructure and industrial operations.”

Nozomi Networks’ “OT/IoT Security Report” summarises the biggest threats and risks to OT and IoT environments. The report provides information on 18 specific threats that IT and OT security teams should study as they model threat vectors and evaluate risks across operational technology systems. It includes 10 key recommendations and actionable insights to improve defenses against the current threat landscape.

Author

Tracey Harris

Published

26 January 2021

Estimated Read time

2Mins

A global shift to remote working has accelerated digital transformation and prompted a higher degree of focus on cybersecurity, according to Kaspersky’s latest report.

A global shift to remote working has accelerated digital transformation and prompted a higher degree of focus on cybersecurity, according to Kaspersky’s latest report.

Transitioning from a corporate office environment to working from home, coupled with financial restraints due to economic recession, has seen challenges presented to cybersecurity experts not many had seen before.

From February to March 2020, a 569% growth in malicious website registrations was detected and reported to INTERPOL, including malware and phishing. In April, there was a huge spike in ransomware attacks by multiple threat groups that had been previously dormant for months.

Cybercrime threats are expected to rise as more opportunities present themselves in the coming months. Fake vaccine registration websites will aim to steal data, whilst business email compromise schemes aim to take advantage of the economic downturn and shift in the business landscape.

Protecting the perimeter of a company is no longer enough: there is a desperate need now for home office assessment with tools to scan the level of security. Discouraging poor internet practices such as connecting to an unprotected Wi-Fi hotspot should be top of the list, with VPNs and multifactor authentification systems being offered as a solution.

With an increased reliance on cloud technology and services, dedicated management and protection measures are now a necessity for businesses. Around 90% of employees use non-corporate software and cloud services, such as messaging apps, and this is unlikely to change any time soon.

To ensure that any corporate data is kept under control, better visibility over cloud access will be necessary. IT security managers will need to align themselves with this cloud paradigm and develop skills for cloud management and protection.

This is why, according to Kaspersky, the quality of protection is “no longer up for discussion.”

“Quality protection is now a must have,” report Alexander Moiseev, Chief Business Officer at Kaspersky.

“Another major trend is that deep integration between various components of corporate security, ideally from a single vendor, now plays a bigger role. For instance, there was a long-held belief in the industry that various specialised solutions from various vendors can help create the best combination for protection.

“Now, organisations are looking for a more unified approach with maximum integration between different security technologies.”

You can read Ksapersky’s “Plugging the gaps: 2021 corporate IT security predictions” report in full HERE.

Author

James Hall

Published

20 July 2020

Estimated Read time

5Mins

James Hall, Commercial Director, Striata UK, explores the threats customers face and how to combat them.

With cybercrime escalating in volume and sophistication every year, consumer trust is a bigger challenge for organisations than it’s ever been. And while legislation such as the EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) have made things simpler by setting minimum standards for organisations to adhere to, they need to do more to truly guarantee trust.

They should not, for instance, assume that their responsibility is over once a document has been delivered safely to the customer. If a customer’s personal devices are unsecured, there is still a risk that one gets hacked or stolen. This means that confidential information sent by the organisation could find its way into the public eye, or worse, get exploited for criminal purposes. Even if the organisation’s own security protocols are watertight, it could still end up shouldering the blame or have its reputation tarnished.

Fortunately, organisations can (and should) do everything they can to ensure that customer communications are protected throughout the information cycle.

Customers face multiple threats

When considering why it’s so important for organisations to protect customer communication even once it’s on the end device, it’s worth remembering just how many threats customers face.

The millions of mobile phones stolen every year alone represent a massive danger of identity theft. That’s before even getting to the number of people every year who fall victim to phishing scams or who have their information compromised after inadvertently installing malware.

According to Kaspersky Labs, the number of unique malicious objects detected by its web antivirus solution reached 24,610,126 in 2019. Some 85% of web threats detected were malicious URLs making the risk of a customer unwittingly clicking on a URL an ever present threat to data protection.

In short, while organisations have never been more aware of the need to keep their customer data safe internally, the threat to that data once it’s on the customer’s device continues to increase.

Data protection by design

One solution to mitigate these threats is for organisations to bake data protection into the design of their customer communications. Data protection by design is about considering data protection and privacy issues upfront in everything the organisation does, especially when it comes to customer communication. This not only ensures compliance with relevant legislation, it can save the organisation reputational damage and, ultimately, revenue.

But what does data by design look like practically?

Well, encryption and password protection should be non-negotiable for starters. Encrypting and protecting important documents ensures that even when it resides on the customer’s smartphone or laptop, the information cannot be easily accessed if the device is stolen or hacked.

Encryption is a process that encodes a message or file so that it can only be read by the intended recipient. Encryption scrambles, or encrypts, data which the receiving party can only unscramble, or decrypt, using a key (a string of values or an application).

Password protection, meanwhile, means a document cannot be opened without entering a shared secret known only to the sender and recipient. Requiring a password to access a secured document not only adds another layer of protection, but has other benefits. In the unlikely event that a document is sent to the wrong person, the incorrect recipient cannot open the document (personal information remains private) thereby avoiding a data breach.

Customer education is key

While it’s obviously important that the organisation does everything in its power to protect and encrypt information, customer education remains the most powerful weapon in its arsenal. Cybercriminals can find their way around new technologies, but tech-savvy customers are much harder to crack.

If an organisation can help its customers avoid risky behaviour and protect their personal information, no matter where it sits, they’re much less likely to fall victim to cybercrime. That, in turn, means reduced reputational and financial risk.

Author

Johan Paulsson

Published

2 January 2020

Estimated Read time

5Mins

As existing technologies reach maturity and innovations make the leap from consumer applications to business (and vice versa), it’s imperative…

As existing technologies reach maturity and innovations make the leap from consumer applications to business (and vice versa), it’s imperative that we constantly seek to find those that have the potential to add value to our own business and those of our customers. As we look ahead to 2020, Johan Paulsson, CTO, Axis Communications has identified five trends that will have an impact on the physical security industry. 

  1. The world on the edge
    We are seeing a growing momentum towards computing at the ‘edge’ of the network[1]. More of the devices that are connected to the network require or would benefit from the ability to analyse received data, make a decision and take appropriate action. Autonomous vehicles are an obvious example. Whether in relation to communications with the external environment or through sensors detecting risks, decisions must be processed in a split second. It is the same with video surveillance. If we are to move towards the proactive rather than reactive, more processing of data and analysis needs to take place within the camera itself.
  2. Processing power in dedicated devices
    Dedicated and optimised hardware and software, designed for the specific application, is essential with the move towards greater levels of edge computing. Connected devices will need increased computing power, and be designed for purpose from the ground up with a security first mindset. The concept of embedded AI in the form of machine and deep learning computation will also be more prevalent moving forwards.
  3. Towards the trusted edge
    Issues around personal privacy will continue to be debated around the world. While technologies such as dynamic anonymization and masking[2] can be used on the edge to protect privacy, attitudes and regulation are inconsistent across regions and countries. The need to navigate the international legal framework will be ongoing for companies in the surveillance sector. Many organizations are still failing to undertake even the most basic firmware upgrades, yet with more processing and analysis of data taking place in the device itself, cybersecurity will become ever more critical.
  4. Regulation: use cases vs technology
    Attitudes towards appropriate use technology cases and the regulations around them differ around the world. Facial recognition might be seen as harmless and even desirable. However, when used for monitoring citizens and social credit systems it is regarded as much more sinister and unwanted. The technology is exactly the same but the case is vastly different. Regulations are struggling to keep pace with advances in technology. It’s a dynamic landscape that the industry will need to navigate, and where business ethics[3] will continue to come under intense scrutiny. 
  5. Network diversity
    As a direct result of some of the regulatory complexities, privacy and cybersecurity concerns, we’re seeing a move away from the open internet of the past two decades. While public cloud services will remain part of how we transfer, analyse and store data, hybrid and private clouds are growing in use. Openness and data sharing was regarded as being essential for AI and machine learning, yet pre-trained network models can now be tailored for specific applications with a relatively small amount of data. For instance, we’ve been involved in a recent project where a traffic monitoring model trained with only 1,000 photo examples reduced false alarms in accident detection by 95%.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edge_computing

[2] https://www.axis.com/blog/secure-insights/privacy-security-industry/

[3] https://www.axis.com/en-gb/newsroom/article/ethics-trust-security-value-chain

Author

Andrew Woods

Published

11 December 2019

Estimated Read time

4Mins

Critical guide published today calls for effective cyber security lifecycle management of IoT devices to improve the security of retail…

Critical guide published today calls for effective cyber security lifecycle management of IoT devices to improve the security of retail systems and the protection of customer data in a stringent GDPR era. 

Axis Communications, the market leader in network video technology, has published its latest whitepaper, Cyber security: the biggest threat to retail which highlights the increasing threat posed by cyber-attacks to today’s retail industry. The paper documents the measures that should be understood by data controllers, loss prevention & security personnel through to heads of operations to ensure the highest levels of security and provide the appropriate education and training for all key stakeholders to effectively mitigate the mounting cyber security threat. 

The growth in and use of IoT devices and cloud technologies have opened up boundless possibilities for modern retail organisation across physical and digital platforms. However, customer data is at the heart of a frictionless shopping experience and presents an attractive commodity to cybercriminals, with attacks growing in number on those retailers whose systems are inadequately secured. It has been reported that in the last 12 months there have been 19 significant data breaches[1], which present a major risk for both retailers and customers. 

In addition to the immediate disruption and downtime a breach can cause, the damage to the reputation of a business or brand can be lifelong. Furthermore, GDPR related fines from the ICO can now be as much as €20m or 4% of global annual turnover, whichever is higher, and demands that necessary steps be taken to guard against attack and protect existing infrastructure. Axis’ whitepaper creates awareness of the challenges being faced and looks at how effective cybersecurity lifecycle management of IoT devices will help to better manage security and ultimately maintain customer trust.

Download the whitepaper – Cyber security: the biggest threat to retail 

“Any organisation that generates or manages personally identifiable information (PII), effectively any data that could potentially identify a specific individual, must comply with GDPR. Establishing a truly secure retail solution can only be accomplished if security has been analysed at every stage. The key is to ensure that everyone involved understands the security implications of a breach and how to prevent one. Collaboration with system vendors, integrators and installers is also hugely important, and conversations across the supply chain will ensure requirements are met and security risks are adequately addressed,” Steven Kenny, Industry Liaison Architecture and Engineering, Axis Communications.

Alongside greater awareness of the need to comply with the GDPR, the Axis whitepaper stresses the importance of looking to guard against system vulnerabilities by working with trusted vendors who can install only those security technologies that are deemed to be Secure by Default. These technologies have been built from the ground up with cybersecurity considerations at the forefront. Technologies that are cyber secure offer peace of mind when connected to a network, and come with assurances that stringent guidelines are followed during the design and manufacturing process. Surveillance camera technology designed and manufactured in this way assures retailers that these security solutions will not be used as a backdoor into the network; such is the risk of introducing non-secured hardware.

Key points covered in the retail whitepaper include:

  • Review of cybersecurity challenges – Supply chain attacks, IoT vulnerabilities, the impact of operational downtime
  • GDPR, data protection and privacy – Examining the necessary actions to ensure full compliance with the GDPR and DPA 2018
  • Video surveillance insights – Understanding how data analysis can inform security and business decisions, and supply chain evaluation
  • Managing security effectively – Processes and tools to help the design, development and testing of systems in accordance with cybersecurity principles
  • Converged security – A collaborative approach to addressing cybersecurity risks

“The retail industry is deemed the most at risk to cyber threats. It is crucial to find the balance between enhancing the customer experience and maintaining GDPR compliance; providing adequate security whilst not violating customer privacy,” says Graham Swallow, Retail segment lead, Northern Europe, Axis Communications. “While video surveillance systems are a necessity within the retail environment, many organisations have re-evaluated their entire strategy in order to ensure full GDPR compliance. Retailers must be able to rely on technologies that support their operational requirements and address associated risks, while at the same time, supporting IT security policies.”

This whitepaper provides retailers with expert guidance, highlighting the appropriate policies and procedures around the cybersecurity of IoT devices, and reinforces the importance of selecting trusted vendors and partners. Axis is passionate about using technology to help create a smarter and safer world. This is demonstrated by a commitment to helping retailers understand the benefits of connected physical security systems that deliver on the promise of better protection of the business and customer.

Author

Josh Lefkowitz

Published

26 May 2019

Estimated Read time

5Mins

Data breaches are costly. According to a recent Ponemon Institute study, the average breach costs an organisation $3.86 million. A…

Data breaches are costly. According to a recent Ponemon Institute study, the average breach costs an organisation $3.86 million. A separate study found that, although the share price of breach-affected companies shows its sharpest drop 14 days after the breach is made public, there is still a discernible impact on the organisation’s stock valuation three years post-event.

By Josh Lefkowitz, CEO of Flashpoint

Business impacts at this level affect the fundamental financial performance and sustainability of an organisation, which means cybersecurity must no longer be considered an IT issue; it’s a matter for the board in its role as custodian of shareholder value. By managing cyber risk as part of the overall organisational risk strategy, boards can put it into a commercial context and drive the cultural awareness of risk that is essential to promote cyber resilience across the business.

Making the shift from technology-centric to business-centric risk management

Elevating cyber risk management to the board level is not without challenges, however. We are still very much in the midst of a shift in mindset from a technology-centric to a business-centric view of cyber threats. This can result in a disconnect: many boards find it difficult to interpret the information they receive from the IT team, while many IT functions struggle to understand what data the board really needs to carry out effective oversight. This challenge was underlined by EY interviews that found difficulties “obtaining relevant, objective and reliable information, presented in business-centric terms…[and this] affects board members’ ability to understand the risk facing their organisations and evaluate management’s response to these risks.”

This area is where the evolving role of the CISO—sitting between the business and the board—requires a mix of skills. CISOs need both technical expertise in analysing and interpreting threat metrics and technology performance, and the ability to apply these skills in a broader business context for board directors so they can deliver strategic cyber risk oversight and governance for the business.

Reporting to the board – from numbers to narrative

While increasingly boards are factoring cyber skillsets into their succession planning when recruiting new board members, most current board directors don’t have deep experience in cybersecurity. This means that any metric-based reporting should be simple to interpret, including auditable figures that provide an overview of the organisation’s security posture.

Reports should also be framed in terms of the impacts specific security incidents have on the business. For example, a DdoS attack might cause reputational risk, operational risk and strategic risk. And, of course, the flipside of risk is compliance, so the board also needs to know how cybersecurity incidents could impact data privacy and governance.

It’s the role of the board to challenge senior management robustly in order to deliver effective oversight, so CISOs should be ready to answer questions around the organisation’s cybersecurity maturity and the frameworks established to manage emerging threats.

However, while numbers and frameworks are valuable in helping boards evaluate and audit cyber risk posture, when it comes to setting a risk-aware culture, directors really need deeper context around the types of threats specific to their organisation. If board directors are given a window into the environment, tactics, and motivational psychology of actors that target their sector and business, they can better understand the risks themselves. Once that has been achieved, board directors can become an asset to the CISO in promoting a cyber risk-aware culture not just as a tick-box exercise, but because they have genuine appreciation of the factors, and indeed actors, in play.

To achieve this board-level buy-in, CISOs need to move from numbers to narrative to drive the message home. This is where business risk intelligence provides the context that helps bring risk to life.

It’s undoubtedly useful for senior leaders to understand the frequency and type of the cyber-attacks the business experiences, but it’s also valuable for them to know the extent to which the organisation is the topic of conversation in the illicit online communities that initiate those attacks.

Deep and dark web forums, chat services, and other platforms are often where cybercriminals discuss tactics to defraud or infiltrate the organisation. These types of venues are also where company secrets, intellectual property, and stolen data may be offered for sale. An overview of the company’s profile across the deep and dark web, as well as other illicit online communities, and the kinds of tactics that are being discussed, is a powerful way CISOs can help directors gain context to understand what the business faces.

Illustrating third-party risk

Third-party risk, including supply chain weaknesses, is a hot topic among board rooms as businesses realise that keeping their own house in order is not enough. Intelligence gleaned from illicit online communities can also be used to illustrate potential weaknesses in, or threats to, partner organisations. This intelligence can help boards meet objectives to manage supply chain risk.

Successful cyber risk oversight by company boards relies on them receiving a combination of auditable metrics, risk impact assessments and contextual information enabling them to provide informed oversight of cyber risk. Greater understanding of the threat actor environment also assists boards in leading a risk-aware culture across the business, moving from a tick-box approach to a genuine cultural shift.  

Author

Tracey Harris

Published

28 March 2019

Estimated Read time

5Mins

How digitalisation is bringing the fight to industrial security threats ~ It’s no longer a question of whether your business…

How digitalisation is bringing the fight to industrial security threats ~

It’s no longer a question of whether your business will be attacked, but rather when it will be attacked. Cyber attacks, particularly those on public sector and utility businesses, are now a regular, often daily occurrence. Here, Robin Whitehead, managing director of systems integrator Boulting Technology, explains how this is impacting the role of the chief information security officer (CISO) and resulting in the need for end-to-end digitalisation.

It’s a simple fact that data makes the modern economy turn. Being the first business to take action, based on the insights gained from some pivotal piece of information, gives businesses a distinct competitive advantage. However, it’s also quickly becoming a fact of life that the same data is being targeted by skilled cybercriminals intent on stealing this new currency and even causing maximum damage to infrastructure.

We can see the potential scale of cyber crime if we look at the number of data breaches made each month. For example, in December 2017, security firm IT Governance reported that 33.8m records — including a mixture of personal and business information — had been leaked around the world. In November 2017, the number was 59m.

Sophisticated cyber attacks

With the world facing the likes of WannaCry, Petya and NotPetya in 2017, sophisticated cyber threats are the biggest technological fear in 2018. Although sectors such as financial services and the public sector are most at risk, there have also been numerous high-profile attacks on utilities, oil and gas and food manufacturing environments in recent years.

At 9:30am on 27 June, 2017, confectionary manufacturer Cadbury was hit by a cyber attack, which halted production at its Hobart factory in Australia. Computers at the facility were infected with the Petya ransomware virus and displayed a message on the screen demanding payment in cryptocurrency.

Later that same day, NotPetya — a variant of the Petya virus — went on to do further damage to facilities across Europe. NotPetya exploits a backdoor in the update system of a Ukrainian tax-preparation programme running on Windows and used by around 80 per cent of all Ukrainian businesses.

It uses a vulnerability in the Windows operating system called EternalBlue — originally believed to have been developed by the US National Security Agency (NSA) — to encrypt the filesystem’s master file table (MFT), preventing the system from locating its own files.

Launched on June 27, 2017 — on the eve of Ukraine’s Constitution Day holiday — NotPetya quickly spread to networks in Russia, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the UK and the US and affected many sectors. “It’s massive,” Christiaan Beek, a lead scientist and principal engineer at McAfee, told WIRED about the situation in Ukraine. “Complete energy companies, the power grid, bus stations, gas stations, the airport, and banks are being targeted.”

The new CISO

It should come as no surprise then that the advice of IT and security experts is now being sought at the highest levels of business. The role of the chief information security officer (CISO) is also changing in response. Acting as the head of IT security, the CISO has traditionally been responsible for things like operational compliance and adherence to ISO standards as well as performing IT security risk assessments and ensuring that the business is using the latest technologies.

However, increasingly, the CISO must now also drive IT security and strategy, guiding everyone from the shop-floor staff to the most senior officials in the business on how best to protect them from cyberattacks. The modern CISO now takes a seat at the boardroom table, ensuring business continuity, come what may.

Modern CISOs need to be visionaries and good communicators in their own right, exerting their influence at all levels of the business to bring about long lasting technological and security change.

End-to-end digitalisation

For industrial businesses, this change cannot come soon enough. The desire to integrate manufacturing networks with the outside world and the increased use of smart data is driving efficiencies and cost savings in sectors from food and beverage, pharmaceutical and automotive to utilities such as gas, water and energy. At the same time, it’s also leaving them vulnerable to attacks that can lead to business disruption and extended periods of downtime.

Part of the reason for this is that many businesses have traditionally operated in silos, with information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) experts not historically well aligned to the same objectives and outcomes. However, as we increasingly use more internet-connected devices such as PLCs, HMIs, intelligent motor control centres (MCCs), telemetry devices and smart meters — all relaying millions of data points to centralised and often remote SCADA and ERP systems — it will become crucial to take a joined-up approach to industrial operations. Cue end-to-end digitalisation.

For many businesses, replacing hardware and software to allow functionality such as standardised Fieldbus communications, real-time cloud data, analytics and centralised control across every aspect of their operations is neither a cheap undertaking nor one that is quick to enact.

After all, most engineering plant managers have built up a complex system over many years, retrofitting new components and modules to existing equipment. This is driving the need for end-to-end digitalisation, moving away from fragmented system control, maintenance and upgrade towards a holistic approach that encompasses system-wide transparency, alarms and notifications, including analytics that can deliver actionable insights to improve process efficiency.

At Boulting Technology we’re helping our customers introduce cybersecurity measures to retrofitted equipment in existing industrial setups. Our range of control systems, networking products, intelligent motor control centres and more, form an integrated system that gives engineers easy and secure access to their operation around the clock. Ultimately, end-to-end digitalisation will help companies respond to attacks and breaches in minutes rather than hours or days.

So, while we come to the realisation that cyber attacks are simply a normal part of doing business, take heed of your CISO’s advice and rethink your end-to-end digitalisation strategy.

Author

Bernard Parsons

Published

27 March 2019

Estimated Read time

6Mins

By Bernard Parsons, CEO of Becrypt The world of encryption is growing exponentially. Many smaller businesses, including those in the…

By Bernard Parsons, CEO of Becrypt

The world of encryption is growing exponentially. Many smaller businesses, including those in the public sector supply chain, are looking at implementing encryption for the first time. This adoption has been driven by recent regulations such as GDPR, and the requirement to add encryption as a privacy-enforcing mechanism.

However, despite the numerous security benefits that encryption offers, there are a number of aspects for these businesses to consider. Based on the experience and feedback that Becrypt has attained working closely with our customers, I have summarised the top-five areas that small businesses should assess if they are looking at adopting disk encryption in 2019, or if they’re looking at undertaking wider rollouts of disk encryption.

Ease of use

Organisations must look for products that are easy to use, easy and quick to install. These are obvious requirements that are partly about reducing the time and expertise required to install products in the first place. An important subsequent point is also total cost of ownership. If a product is not easy to install, it is usually a good indicator of a level of complexity that will remain as a long-term business overhead.

The more complex a product is, the more complexity there is to manage. This leads to higher levels of required expertise. It also increases the potential for support issues to occur over time. This drives up the product’s total cost of ownership for the organisation.

Accessible support

Encryption can be a business-critical asset, as well as a business-enabling technology. It’s therefore important that you’re working with an organisation – whether that’s a vendor or the vendor’s partner – that can offer good, and accessible technical support.

Even if you’re choosing a product that’s easy to use, i.e. that’s going to reduce the amount of required technical support, you should still think about the potential for requiring support over the total life of the product. In a couple of years, you may be looking at doing something slightly differently, such as looking at encrypting new devices that may be non-standard (such as RAID Servers). Therefore, you will want to ensure that you can pick up a phone and talk to someone with sufficient expertise.

The option of phone-based support is important; being able to jump onto a call in a reasonable amount of time and actually talk to an expert. Therefore, we’d certainly recommend testing this process with a vendor or the partner before you go ahead and procure.

Proof of encryption

It’s a good first step to encrypt laptops, as organisations will always lose laptops. Encryption turns what would potentially be an information-loss, into just the loss of a physical asset. It protects the organisation’s information and addresses the organisation’s liabilities.

However, under regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), there is often a requirement to prove that devices actually were encrypted in the event of a loss. This addresses some of the reporting requirements within these regulations. Proving that a device loss is not an information loss and avoiding the need to undertake breach notification, is something you want to be able to think about in advance. If you’re deploying a product that includes centralised management, that functionality should already be there. But many small businesses will choose to deploy in a more stand-alone configuration. Deploying with a central management platform increases cost but also increases risk.

With standalone installs, you should still ensure that that product has a reporting capability of some kind, such as online. This allows the encryption status of your estate of devices to be reported.

Extendibility

In the first instance, you may be looking at deploying encryption within an estate of Windows devices. As technology changes and refreshes, it could be the case within a year or two that you have other requirements. You might need to manage encryption on Mac devices, or on smartphones and mobile devices within that same suite of products. Therefore, it’s a good idea to look for vendors that have multi-platform offerings, helping to future-proof your technology choice. This will ensure that you’re not tied to a vendor, but at least ensuring that your existing vendor is an option as your requirements grow.

Using product certification and assurance schemes

It’s a good step to encrypt devices and be able to prove that you’ve encrypted them. However, there is an increasing regulatory requirement to demonstrate that you’ve gone through some process of ensuring that the technology you’re adopting represents best practice. For example, GDPR explicitly references ‘state-of-the-art’ technology.

To fully ensure that you’re managing liabilities, you need to evidence that you’re not just adopting technology, but that it’s appropriately ‘state-of-the-art’. Achieving this level of confidence can only be done by looking at technology that has third-party validation, normally through product assurance or certification. This provides independent validation that the product is of an appropriate quality.

There are a variety of common certification schemes relevant for encryption products. One of these is the US standard, Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS), which ensures that algorithms have been correctly implemented. However, organisations must be wary of adopting technology just because it has a FIPS certification. The majority of products use the same algorithms, such as Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). FIPS ensures that a third-party has validated that the vendor has correctly implemented the algorithm. However, vendors can, and still do, implement products inappropriately which leave vulnerabilities.

A good example of such vulnerabilities in encryption products is within Solid State Drives (SSDs). Recent research from Radboud University in The Netherlands has highlighted vulnerabilities in not just one vendor, but a whole range of vendors’ SSDs. Vendors can take shortcuts, which means that resulting vulnerabilities can be discovered. In this case, researchers were able to bypass the encryption within SSDs.

Organisations are better off looking for certification schemes that are more comprehensive. One example is the Commercial Product Assurance (CPA) scheme, run by the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). CPA works alongside FIPS for validating algorithms, but it says more about the overall product quality and implementation, looking at the security architecture to make sure that it has been designed and implemented in a sensible way.

It also looks at the vendor coding and build standards, thereby reducing the risk of there being a vulnerability in the product. The risk is never fully mitigated, but it certainly goes down to a point that allows you to say that, as an organisation, you are adopting best practice.

The importance of due diligence when adopting encryption

Organisations, particularly SMEs, should consider these five key steps as they adopt encryption. Alongside security and liabilities, they also need to be concerned about the cost of being caught out by products with publicised vulnerabilities. Subsequently, they also need to think about the cost of then changing to a different solution.

Ultimately, adopting encryption is not rocket science. During their studies, the aforementioned researchers from Radboud University highlighted that implementing encryption well is not easy, and it is easy to make mistakes. However, most good vendors, or their partners, should be able to advise you on the above best practice steps to take.